The Future is not written in Stone
by Hmz0975
Summary: What if someone gave you the chance to change your past. Will you take it? On the day of her wedding Bella learns a shocking truth. Will she take the opportunity and change the future?
1. Chapter 1

What if Someone gave you the chance to change your past? On the day of her wedding Bella learns a shocking truth. Will she change her future?

Chapter 1-

I woke up sweating. Another nightmare. The Volturi had come to attack us. This was a constant fear in my life. I was glad that Edward had finally agreed to change me post our marriage. Today was the big day. Never had I thought that I would get married at 18. Renee always said that getting married before 30 is a mistake. The only thing I can hope is that I am not making a mistake. I love Edward, maybe taking nuptials and sealing it is not really my thing but I do want an eternity with him. I got out of bed and went downstairs to grab a bite. I had to leave for Edward's place in an hour. I was going to get dressed over there. Obviously Alice was on the verge of hyperventilating. She was radiating excitement. I loved the pixie. She was my best friend. Yes I did have some unresolved grudge against her and Edward for leaving me like they did but when you love someone you can't stay angry on them for long. Charlie had gone to the station to complete some work and Renee was already at the Cullens. My harebrained mother was going neurotic thinking about the arrangements. Suddenly the door bell rang. I wasn't expecting anyone. Maybe Alice decided to pick me up earlier than decided.

I opened the door to a grief stricken Emily and an equally grim looking Jared.

"Emily, Jared. Is everything okay?"

I was surprised to see them. I had never actually spoken to Jared and since the Cullens returned I had hardly seen Emily. But the Pack had done so much for me in these past few months. I would do anything to repay them.

"Actually no. It is okay right now. But it won't be in a few hours" said Jared sighing

"Wait. What is wrong?" I asked confused

"Paul" Emily replied

I was even more confused. What did I have to do with Paul? Apart from the time when I had slapped him, I had hardly spoken to him.

"What about him?"

"He will die if you get married to that leech" said Jared. I could hear the anger in his voice.

"Wait what" I asked. This was sounding more and more like a Jigsaw puzzle. What did Paul Lahote have to do with my marriage?

Emily was literally crying by now. Even Jared had a few tears in his eyes.

I made her sit on the couch and sat beside her. Jared was standing at the window looking outside, probably checking for threats.

"Emily just tell me. Will you?"

"Imprint Bella" said Emily

"I know what an Imprint is Emily. Jacob has told me but what does this have to do with me?"

"Dammit. That idiot Paul imprinted on you when you slapped him months back. We told him to tell you but that asshole does not listen to anyone. You die, he dies" shouted Jared

I could not believe what I was hearing. Paul imprinted on me. Why didn't he tell me?

"Why didn't he tell me?" I asked almost in a whisper

"It is complicated Bella" said Jared

"Try me" I almost snarled at him. I needed answers and I needed them now

"Bella, Paul has had a very shitty childhood. His mom left him and his dad when he was three. His father was an alcoholic who used to beat him. He lives in a worn down apartment on the reservation. He cannot leave the reservation because he is a protector. He hardly has money for clothes and food. He does not own anything expensive, not even a TV." Said Emily

"I am sorry Emily. No one should go through all this but that still doesn't explain why he didn't tell me."

"Because he loves you and could not tie you down to him. That Jackass always argues that you deserve much better than him and when you have someone like Cullen why would you want a poverty stricken guy like him, who cannot give you anything" said Jared sighing

He loves me.

"Since when?" I asked

"Since when what?" asked Jared

"Since when does he love me?"

"Months. He loved you even before the leeches came back. Hell he loved you even when we were chasing Victoria"

I was stunned in silence. I did not know what to say.

"If you become a vampire, Paul will die Bella. He is a very good person once you get past his anger. He does not deserve this. Please Bella. I am begging you" said Emily

"I love Edward Emily"

"Do you really think Edward is your mate Bella?" asked Jared

I was shocked at his tone. Who was he to ask me such a question?

"I know he is my mate"

"You are wrong. Look I accept I know nothing about leeches and their mates but I know this much. You cannot live without your mate. How did he live without you for so many months? Hell even Paul cannot stand to be away from you. He used to sleep outside your window before your precious leeches came back and since they have come back, he hardly sleeps. He tries to hide it but I am his best friend I know"

"Who all knew about this? Oh my god Jake. Did he know?"

"No one knows except me, Sam and Jared. Sam alpha ordered Paul" said Emily

"Okay now what. I feel terribly bad for Paul but I am getting married today. Alice will be here in exactly 20 minutes to pick me up. I love Edward and I can't leave him at the altar"

Emily and Jared shared a look before Emily spoke "Give him a chance Bella. You have no idea how much he loves you"

"It is too late Emily"

"We have a way" said Emily

"What way?" I looked at them with a raised eyebrow

"Quil's grandfather Old Quil is a shaman. He has this potion which can take you in the past to rectify your mistake" said Jared

"Edward and my love is not a mistake" I said. I needed to clarify our relationship

"Okay Bella how about this? You give Paul a chance. If you still love Edward more, no one will stop you"

Emily looked at me pleadingly. Even though I didn't know Paul, the thought of him dying was painful. Maybe I can give this a try.

"Okay. I will drink the Potion but if it does not work out. I will go back to Edward" I said making my point clear.

Jared and Emily both nodded before Jared produced a small bottle filled with a green liquid.

I took a minute to calm myself. I removed Edward's ring and placed it in the drawer under the TV. I mentally said goodbye to my fiancée, best friend and my would have been now ex future family. I took the bottle from Jared and after looking at Emily and Jared once gulped it down.


	2. Chapter 2

Lazygirl89: Thank you for your suggestions. Used quite a few of them. I completely agree with you. One of the reasons why Bella was so attracted to Edward was because he had the ideal family according to her. I plan to make Bella have a much better relationship with Charlie and she will be much more involved in the pack dynamics than she was originally. Also she will be a sister to one of the wolves (Which one is mentioned in this chapter). And yes she will specify to Jake that their relationship is completely platonic in the beginning itself. Thank you once again.

hstevens0816: Thank you for your review. I will update as soon as I can.

A: Thank you for your review. Glad you like it.

Natrosbel: Thank you for your review.

the newest daughter: Thank you for your review.

If you any suggestions on how this story should move ahead please share. Thank You.

Chapter 2-

I felt like I was having the worst hangover in the history of hangovers. I had a throbbing headache and I felt like puking. The world around me was spinning and I felt like I was on the world's deadliest roller coaster a 100 feet above the ground. I just wanted this blinding pain to end. After what seemed like eternity, I could feel my body senses returning to normal. Somehow I managed to open my eyes. I was surprised to say the least. I was in my room sitting on my bed. I clearly remembered Emily and Jared coming over and me drinking the potion. Had it not worked?

I got up from the bed trying to investigate the situation and maybe find a living soul who can tell me what is going on. Because I was clueless. My room looked the same. Well almost the same. The curtains were different and the furniture in all looked unused, as if it was kept aside for a long period of time. I gasped when I saw my appearance in the mirror. My clothes were different. I used to wear such clothes when I used to live in Arizona. Alice would throw a fit if she saw me in something like this. Also my hair was shorter than it used to be and my face looked slightly younger like I used to look maybe a year or two back.

That's it.

What date is it? I am sure that I am Forks but not in the same month or possibly year that I was in originally.

I searched my entire room looking for a calendar and my suspicions were only confirmed when I found nearly unpacked suitcases and things that I owned when I lived in Arizona and had thrown or destroyed over the months.

Finally my eyes landed on today's date- 17th January 2005

This was the day I moved back to Forks to live with Charlie. My marriage to Edward was scheduled in August 2006 so I had time travelled nearly a year and a half in the past.

I sat down on the ice cold floor trying to grasp this information overload. A part of me was terrified that I now had knowledge of things that were going to occur in the future but another part of me was elated. I had a second chance. A clean slate to rewrite my life in Forks without all those trials and tribulations I went through.

A knock on the door brought me out of my internal musings.

"Kiddo you okay?"

It was Charlie but a slightly different Charlie. He looked younger, happier and less stressed than the Charlie I had seen last night while having dinner.

"Bells you okay?"

I just nodded my head too confused to say a word.

"Okay I will be in the living room if you need anything"

He started to walk out of my room when he paused and turned "I just wanted to let you know that I am really glad that you moved here to live with me. I have missed you a lot"

A flashback of the past year and a half reflected in the front of my mind. I had treated Charlie, my father so terribly, like he was invalid. I ran away from his house twice making him feel like he was a failure of a father. I neglected his cautions and broke his rules while staying under the same roof as him.

Oh my god! I had been such a pathetic daughter.

No, this has to change. This is my second chance and an opportunity to rectify certain mistakes.

I quickly got up from my seat on the floor and ran down the stairs. Charlie was sitting on the couch, watching baseball and drinking his beer.

"Dad"

He looked surprised to see me.

I took his silence as a confirmation to continue "I have missed you too and I am so glad that you are letting me stay with you. Also I love you" I wiped out the stray tears in my eyes. The last time I had told my father that I loved him was when I was 13. Neither Charlie nor I were very expressive of our emotions.

"I love you too Kiddo" said Charlie. Even his eyes were a little moist.

A horn interrupted our emotional moment. "That must be Billy and Jacob" said Charlie getting up from his seat on the couch.

I followed him out of the main door. I already knew that Charlie had bought me a Red Chevy truck as a homecoming present and I loved his gift more than I fancied any expensive car.

Billy was sitting in his wheelchair looking exactly the same as he did but his eyes were warm and not filled with disdain like they used to be when he looked at me. And Jacob, my Jake, my sun looked like his older happier self. The evergreen smiling 15 year old. The last time I had seen him, he looked so forlorn and agonized, nothing like he looked now. I knew that he expected more from me but my feelings for him was completely platonic. I cannot string Jake with false hope. No I had to tell him the truth today, that I can only offer him friendship.

"So you like it Bella" said Charlie pointing towards the truck.

"It is for me? I love it" I said feigning enthusiasm. Yes I was aware that I already knew what my gift was but my enthusiasm made Charlie happy. So I was willing to pretend for him.

"Bells you remember Billy Black and his son Jacob. They live in La Push" said Charlie

"Yes of course I remember. We used to make mud pies together" I said pointing towards Jake.

"You remember?" asked Jake sounding a little surprised.

I just nodded my head.

"So do you want to come with me to the reservation? We can go to the beach, can hang out for sometime" asked Jake

Charlie and Billy were engrossed in their own personal conversation not paying any heed to us.

"Dad, can I go with Jacob to the beach?"

"Sure Bells. But just be back on time. Also did I mention, you were supposed to be joining school from tomorrow but I wanted to give you some more time to adjust in Forks and so now you will be attending school from next Monday" said Charlie. Today was Monday so now I had an entire week to get settled down. I was thankful for small miracles.

"Sure dad. Thanks a lot"

Billy and Charlie went inside to watch Baseball and gossip like the old ladies they were while Jake and I sat in my old/new truck and started driving towards the reservation. This was my chance to let Jake know the reality of my feelings for him before they intensify and become something more. I pretended to listen to him while he gave me instructions on how to get to First Beach in La Push.

We soon reached First Beach and I parked the truck in the driveway. It was a rare sunny day in La Push and so there was a lot of crowd on the beach. We walked silently towards a piece of driftwood.

"So Bells, Is it okay if I call you Bells?" asked Jake

"Yes and I will call you Jake" I replied

Before he could say anything else I interrupted him. "I know this is completely out of place but I have to tell you something" I continued when he nodded "I really like you Jacob but like a friend, like a best friend. My feelings for you are platonic and will always remain so. I don't want to give you any false hope that we will be anything more than friends. Not now not ever. Jake, you are a great guy and you are going to find the one for you but I am not her."

He did not say anything for a few minutes and I silently stared at his face. I loved Jacob like a best friend but if he did not want anything to do with me after listening to this, I would let him go.

"I understand not now but what about a year or two in the future? I don't mind waiting" said Jake sounded dejected.

I shook my head "No Jake. Can we just be Jake and Bells who are best friends?"

"Okay" he said giving me his perfect grin. I smiled to myself. This was the original Jacob who found happiness in anything and everything.

"So Best friend what say you want to come over to my place and play videogames?" asked Jacob

I laughed "Sure, let's go"

The rest of the afternoon was spent in playing videogames. I had a great time. Quil and Embry also joined us midway. Quil teaming up with Jacob against me and Embry. I missed this. This feeling of normalcy. Right Now we were just four normal teenagers hanging out. There was no involvement of the supernatural world whatsoever.

Charlie was taking me out for dinner so that I could have a day off from cooking. I met him directly at the diner in Forks after spending hours with Jake, Quil and Embry.

The diner was semi full and I remembered coming here occasionally with Charlie, though I had not been here in months. Edward and I always met at his house or mine. Never anywhere else. We settled down in the seats that were empty and ordered our food. Charlie looked like he wanted to ask me something but was hesitating.

"So Bells" he started "Did you have a good time today with Jake?"

"Ya dad we played videogames. Jake's friends Embry and Quil also joined us"

He thought for a moment as if he was framing his next question "So do you like any one of them?"

I was confused with his question. I was hanging out with them. Didn't that mean that I liked them? Then it struck me.

"Dad are you asking me whether I want to date any one of them?" I asked mortified

Charlie and I did not talk about relationships. Period. Even when Edward was involved. It was a no go area.

Charlie just shrugged unapologetically

"To answer your question no dad, I do not fancy anyone in that sense"

He looked relieved with my answer. "What about you dad do you fancy anyone?"

His face turned scarlet. He was blushing so profusely.

"Come on tell me dad"

"Well her name is Tiffany Call"

"Embry's mother?" I asked shocked

He just nodded his head.

"Is it serious?" I asked. Why hadn't Charlie told me about her when I first moved here? Shouldn't he have been seeing her then as well?

"We have been on a couple of dates, nothing official but I don't think I will be seeing her anymore"

"Why dad I am assuming you like her"

"I wasn't sure whether you will be okay with me dating or not. You are my daughter Bells. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable"

I was shocked that Charlie thought that I would not approve of him dating. But on second thoughts, we had never had such a conversation. It was as if we were just two strangers living under the same roof.

"Dad, you and mom have been separated for close to 16 years now. She has moved on and you should too. It is high time"

"Are you sure? If you are not comfortable with it just let me know" he said nonchalantly though I could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Yes dad, follow your heart" I said smiling at him

The rest of the dinner was spent with us mindlessly chatting. In all these years I had never had such an equation with my father where I could share with him whatever was in my mind and so could he. I liked this.

The next morning came way too soon for my liking. I was surprised that I did not have any nightmares and even the cold and constant rain did not affect me.

Charlie was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper and sipping through his coffee

"So Bells what plans for the day?" he asked me when he saw me approaching

"I was thinking of cleaning the entire house, doing laundry, cooking and"

"Wait now Bella" Charlie interrupted me "Sit" he motioned me to sit next to him

"I don't know what your work responsibilities towards the house were when you lived with Renee, but in my house under my roof, you are not an unpaid help. I have survived on my own for more than a decade and I have managed well. I don't need you to cook and clean for me. You like doing household work, sure you are free to do it, but it is not a compulsion. You are a teenager Bella, behave like one. Go out with your friends, have fun. Study, graduate high school. You are capable of being a valedictorian Bella. Reach your capabilities. I want you to go to college and make something out of your life not stay locked up in a house forever"

I never knew that this was what Charlie expected from me. I had never bothered to ask him.

"Dad, hypothetically speaking, if I would have decided to get married at 18. What would have been your reaction?"

I knew that Charlie had not approved of Edward but did he not even approve of me marrying at 18?

He raised an eyebrow "Hypothetical right"

"Yes dad"

"Like any other parent if he made you happy, I would not have stopped you but I know you Bella, you would not have been happy just being a stepford wife in the long run"

Was Charlie correct? Would I have regretted my decision to marry Edward or my decision to become a vampire like him?

"A lifetime is a long time Bella to be something you are not satisfied with or to be with someone you don't want to be with and not everyone is mature enough to take the correct decision at 18"

I just sat there comprehending all that Charlie had told me. Maybe this second chance was a blessing in disguise for me. Yes I loved Edward but now I had the chance to see a clearer picture of reality.

I plan to have some Paul-Bella scenes before he phases. What do you'll think? If yes what should his reaction be to her?


	3. Chapter 3

Lazygirl89: Thanks for your review. I will try to show a different side to Paul's personality mainly with less anger issues and more witty and charming. Embry will be aware about who his father is but how it affects the plot will be mentioned in the coming chapters. Bella will be close to all the other wolves and their imprints. She will something like a Pack sister and about Jared, he will be involved more in the story line in the coming chapters but for that Bella needs to reach a particular point in the story. Thanks once again and I will try to update as soon as I can.

YankeeGirlNJ: Thank you for reviews. I will try to update as soon as I can.

A/N: The Bella in my story will seem a little OOC but I have tried to portray her as a little more extroverted than she was originally depicted as.

Chapter 3-

By Tuesday afternoon, another rare sunny day in Forks, Charlie and I had reached a consensus, he would cook on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and I would cook on the other days with him helping out on Sunday so after checking the fridge and cabinets for anything resembling food and finding nothing except Beer and frozen food, I decided to go grocery shopping.

There was only one supermarket in Forks which was double the size of the one in La Push and yet barely provided anything more than essentials. I drove the short distance to the supermarket and after parking my truck in the parking lot nearby entered the supermarket. I was in the middle of selecting vegetables when I banged into a familiar yet slightly different face. The said person apologized and moved ahead to continue with their shopping but I just stood there with my feet refusing to budge. That is when the actual intensity of my time travel hit me for standing in front of me was Emily Young sans the three angry scars that marred her face. I had the opportunity to not only make my own life better but positively impact someone else's life. Emily did not deserve to live with the pain of her face being mauled and Sam did not deserve to live with the guilt of physically hurting his own imprint. No something had to be done to stop that from happening.

I quickly approached Emily who was now walking towards the checkout counter. I had to know whether Sam had already imprinted on Emily or not. I could not go and question Sam directly without knowing the facts. I knew from Jake that Emily had come to La Push to help Leah recover after her break up with Sam.

"Hi, can you tell me where they keep olives in this supermarket? I can't seem to find them" I said hesitantly. I know that was lame conversation starter but seriously that was the first thing that popped up in my mind.

"Umm they are right there" said Emily pointing to one of the shelves behind me

"Oh thanks didn't see it. By the way are you from Forks? I am Bella Swan, I just moved here"

"Emily Young, no I am visiting my cousin in La Push"

"Oh yes La Push. My father Charlie Swan is good friends with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater from the reservation"

"You must be knowing my cousin then, Leah Clearwater, she is Harry's daughter"

"You are Leah's cousin? We used to play together as Kids" I said looking shocked

She nodded her head

"So I generally don't gossip but I heard her boyfriend went missing and when he came back he abruptly broke up with her"

She looked at me suspiciously

"Charlie was really worried about her. He sees her as a daughter you know"

She sighed "Yes it is true. Her boyfriend Sam went missing a few months back, came back two weeks later all bulked up like he was on steroids and then broke up with her without giving her a valid reason. She is distraught"

"What a Jerk! Have you met him?"

I knew what I was doing was really wrong. I was unfairly coaxing her into giving me more information but this was my only way out. Charlie did not gossip and I did not know of anyone else who would give me this information and how would I explain to them how I knew about shape-shifters and imprinting in the first place. Emily had been so kind to me, the least I could do for her, was save her face from being mauled.

"Yes I met him a week back. Actually I am going to meet him again in a few hours. He has assured me that he will tell me why he broke up with Leah and why he cannot tell Leah this"

So the imprint has occurred and I assume Sam is going to tell Emily everything today.

"Oh I hope Leah soon gets over him. By the way it was really nice meeting you. I will see you around"

"Ya it was nice meeting you too. I should get back to La push. Leah must be wondering where I went" she said with a slight laugh and turned towards the counter.

Okay so now I had to talk to Sam before he met Emily tonight.

I quickly finished grocery shopping and after paying and dumping the bags in my truck drove towards the reservation.

For the sake of my sanity I prayed that Sam currently stayed in the same house that he was going to stay with Emily in, after he moved in with her. If he did not, I had no other option but to go to Billy and blurt out the entire truth.

Sam's house was on the extreme end of La Push and was surrounded by woods. Though the house looked shabby and lacking a personal touch from the outside, it did not look abandoned. I crossed my fingers and rang the doorbell.

No response

I rang the doorbell again. Finally a half asleep man opened the door. He looked at me for a minute maybe trying to guess why I was here. Unfortunately I had no time for pleasantries.

"Hi Sam, I am Bella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter. I wanted to talk to you about Emily"

"What about her?" he said worriedly all traces of sleep gone "Is she okay? Where is she?" his eyes were searching through the area.

"Sam Don't worry, she is fine" I said trying to calm him down

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"Now this may come as a shock to you but I know that you are a shape-shifter who phases into a black horse size wolf and has imprinted on Emily Young and will be telling her all this today" I said nonchalantly

His mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice back

"How do you know all this?" he said through gritted teeth. He had started shaking and if I didn't calm him down I was at a risk of being in his way when he phased.

"Sam please calm down. Think about Emily. It will help you calm down"

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were back to his original black color and not the yellow that was a sign of the wolf. From observing Jake, I knew that their eyes turned yellow when the wolf was in control.

"Okay so now tell me how do you know all this things?" he asked

"How I know all this does not matter what matters is that whenever today or in future, if Emily is standing near you and you feel the urge to phase get away from her or you will maul her badly"

"I would never hurt her that way" he shouted shaking again

"I know Sam but prevention is better than cure" I lightly patted his arm and turned back towards my truck.

The entire time I was making dinner or eating it my thoughts were on Sam and Emily. I really hoped Emily was fine. Jake had mentioned that Sam had been relatively new to phasing when that incident had occurred and hurting her had not been easy on him.

Charlie did not question my mood and the both of us had dinner in silence.

I had barely managed to sleep fifteen minutes before I was woken up by loud banging on my window. I rushed to the window to open it before Charlie woke up and took out his gun. Before I could react or see who it was I was pulled into a bear sized hug by extremely warm hands whose owner kept repeating 'thank you' like he was on a broken record.

He finally let me go and I looked up to see Sam Uley standing in my room in just his cutoffs signaling that he had just phased back to human.

"Sam are you okay?"

"Thank you so much Bella. I could have hurt her today" he said like the idea of even hurting her was devastating.

I motioned him to sit on the rocking chair before switching on the lights and sitting on my bed

"Okay now tell me what happened?"

He took a deep breath before starting "So like you knew I was going to tell Emily about me being a shape shifter and imprinting on her today"

I nodded my head and signaled him to continue

"So I met her in the backyard of the Clearwater's house. I told her everything. At first when I told her about shape shifting she was okay with it but when I broached the topic of imprinting and me imprinting on her she became angry and told me how could I do this to Leah. I told her it is instinctual and we can't control who we imprint on but she kept repeating she could not do this to Leah and told me to leave her alone. I almost lost control Bella. I almost scarred the most important person in my life" he said looking at his feet "At the last moment I remembered your warning and moved back while trying to calm myself down. She asked me to give her time" he sounded so dejected and ashamed of himself.

"It is going to be okay Sam. She just needs some time to come to terms with the situation"

He looked hopeful "But now tell me how do you know all this?"

"I can't tell you that but I can tell you something else. I am assuming you are the only one to phase as of now?"

He nodded "I phased five months back for the first time. No one else has phased"

"They soon will. Either Paul Lahote or Jared Cameron. One of them is next"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes"

He sighed "I didn't want anyone else to go through this curse"

Oh Sam, you don't know half of it. You'll are going to be the biggest pack in history of the tribe.

"By the way Sam you need to tell Leah the truth"

"I can't. The council won't approve it. She is neither wolf nor imprint"

"Please Sam she deserves closure and sometimes exceptions can be made" if Jacob could make an exception for me Sam possibly could for Leah.

"I will talk to them" he said before getting up from the rocking chair. He climbed down the window and after locking the window tightly I went back to sleep.

Wednesday rolled in and my mood perfectly reflected the weather dull and gloomy. I was bored out of my mind. Charlie was at work and Jake was in school. I binge watched f.r.i.e.n.d.s for the better part of the day. In the evening I was forced to get up of the couch by the ringing of a doorbell. I was not expecting anyone. Charlie had his keys with him and I did not officially know anyone else here.

I opened the door to find the last person I had expected to see, Leah Clearwater standing at my doorstep. Her face held her trademark frown but instead of anger sadness accompanied it.

"Sam told me that you were the one to insist that he tells me the truth"

"Come in Leah" I motioned her to come in and sit on the couch.

"Why would you do that?" she shouted still standing there refusing to budge from her place

"You need closure Leah only then will you be able to move on"

"And what if I don't want to move on? Sam was my life. Just because the spirits think that that cousin of mine is better for him, I have to forget him and let him go pretending that what we shared was nothing"

She fell on the ground and started crying wrapping her arms around her. I sat next to her.

"It is not like that Leah. He was your first love no one expects you to behave like he never existed. Think of it like a normal relationship, you'll did love one another but with time things changed"

"How can he fall in love with her just by looking into her eyes? Isn't it forced love?"

"The imprinting does not make you fall in love. It is like an arrow that points towards the person who you are meant to be with. The man chooses to fall in love."

"What am I supposed to do now? We started dating four years back when I was fourteen and he was fifteen. I don't know how to live without him."

The Leah sitting on this cold hard floor was so different from the bitter Leah I had met. This girl was broken.

"Leah you are eighteen. You have your whole life in front of you. You will fall in love again"

"So I don't have a choice but to let Sam go?" she whispered as if she was asking me. She had stopped crying but her eyes were still red.

"No Leah"

"You know I always wanted to be a nurse but I would have to shift to Seattle for that and Sam did not want to leave La push and I could not leave him and go" she said out of the blue.

"Well I guess this is your chance then"

"Maybe" she shrugged "Thanks for listening. I needed it"

She got up from where she was seated on the ground.

"No problem" I said "So you want to come in for some time?"

"No I should be going back. Some other day"

And then she did the least expected thing on the planet. She hugged me before leaving.

A/N: I don't know if I did justice to the Leah-Bella scene but I wanted Leah to have some closure so that she could move on.

Paul/Bella will most probably meet for the first time in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

YankeeGirlNJ: Thank you for your review. I am glad you like it. Yes, as the story progresses the questions will increase.

Twisted Musalih: Thank you for your review. I will try to update as soon as possible.

Guest: Thank you for your review. I will try to update as soon as possible.

debb lavoie: Thank you for your reviews. I am glad you like it.

hstevens0816: Thank you for your review. I am glad you like it.

the newest daughter: Thank you for your review. I am glad you like it.

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Chapter 4

The next two days passed by in a similar fashion- waking up, doing some household work, eating, watching TV, reading a bit, eating again and sleeping. Charlie was busy on a case and returned home after I slept and left before I woke up. The only indication that I had that he was coming home was that he was leaving notes for me on the fridge. I had gone to La Push on Thursday to meet Jacob, Quil and Embry and hung out with them while Jacob worked in his garage. I had not heard anything from Sam, Emily or Leah in the past two days. Other than that I had e-mailed Renee telling her that life was normal and school was starting in two days now. She told me how she was taking aqua aerobics classes these days and Phil was as always busy with his game.

Today was Saturday and Charlie and I were going down to La Push to have dinner with Tiffany and Embry. Tiffany and Charlie were soon moving towards the officially together stage and so Tiffany wanted to meet me and host a 'family dinner' tonight.

Charlie was going to meet me there directly so after I got dressed and took the apple pie that I had baked for dessert, drove towards the reservation. The Calls lived in a two storied house near second beach. Tiffany owned a souvenir shop in La Push and was one of the sweetest woman I had ever met. I helped her out in the kitchen for a while. Embry was watching TV and Charlie was yet to arrive.

I was sitting on the couch chatting with Embry when I heard a voice I had not heard in months and the reason for whom I was here.

"Hey little brother, you in the company of a pretty lady, now that's a rare sight"

I turned back to see the man himself, Paul Lahote with his trademark smirk firmly placed on his face, standing in the doorway.

"Get lost Paul" screamed Embry from beside me.

Paul put his hand on his heart and dramatically sighed "You wound me little brother!"

Embry just scowled in response. Paul walked up to where the both of us were now standing.

"Won't you introduce us now, little brother?" he said in a teasing manner

Embry rolled his eyes "Bella this is Paul Lahote and Paul this is Bella Swan"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Paul and you are.. gorgeous" said Paul kissing my hand and lowering his voice to make it sound sexy.

I could not stop blushing. I was sure that my cheeks had turned bright red.

Luckily for me Tiffany chose to enter the room at that moment. Embry was still scowling.

"Paul, good you are here. Come with me" said Tiffany leaving the room

Paul winked at me before leaving the room noticing me still blushing.

I was still in a daze when I suddenly remembered something I had overlooked in the first go. Why was Paul calling Embry little brother? Wasn't Paul an only child and till I was aware Embry did not know who his father was.

I turned towards Embry who was still scowling

"Em, why did Paul call you little brother? I did not know you had an older sibling." I questioned him

"Ya apparently till a few months back even I didn't know" he said sighing

"Huh" I asked confused

"Well all my life I begged my mom to tell me who my father was but she refused to say but a few months back she finally told me that my father was Adam Lahote, Paul's father. She says she had a change of heart but I know that my grandfather coaxed her into telling me and somehow this information reached Paul and since then he insists on making my life hell" he sighed

I was shocked. Embry and Paul were half brothers.

"Oh. Your grandfather lives in Makah?" I asked trying to change the subject

"Yes, my mom has a pretty huge family down there, 9 siblings. So I have a lot of uncles, aunts and cousins living there. You know as a kid I used to wish that I could permanently stay there but my mom loved it here way too much to relocate and then after I grew up, I had my friends and life here so I was content with visiting them during vacations. My grandfather and my uncles never let me feel like I don't have a father figure in my life"

"That's so sweet of them" I said smiling

"Yes" he said with a gleam in his eyes

Charlie knocked on the door a few minutes later and Tiffany ran to open it and greet him with a huge smile and a kiss showing me, how much in love they were.

Charlie and Embry soon started talking about baseball and fishing while Tiffany and I laid down the table for dinner. We were just seating ourselves on the dining table when Paul came out of the room he had first entered with Tiffany.

"Paul, you want to join us for dinner?" asked Tiffany

"No I'll leave now. Have some work to get back to. Maybe another time" said Paul walking towards the front door.

"That was Paul Lahote right?" asked Charlie once we had started eating.

"Yes" replied Tiffany

"I have received a lot of complaints against him but I could not do anything about it because it falls under the jurisdiction of the tribal police. Did you know just last week he beat up a boy so bad, that boy had to be hospitalized?" Said Charlie

"Don't be so quick to judge him now Charlie. I agree he has a nasty temper but that is his defense mechanism to deal with the situation. He is a good kid and is trying to work on his temper" said Tiffany "Do you know his mother left him when he was three and his abusive good for nothing father hightailed out of La Push, the day he turned 15. He has lived alone since then but he refuses to be a charity case or blame everyone around him for his problems. He does odd jobs around here to earn cash so that he does not have to drop out of high school." Said Tiffany

Charlie looked slightly ashamed

"Can I ask you something Tiffany?" I said

She nodded her head

"How come no one realized that he was being physically abused?"

She sighed "Well over the months a lot of us have asked the same question but our assumption is that, Paul was always the aggressive one who was involved in a lot of brawls so everyone assumed those marks on his skin were from his own fights and he never told anyone about his father hitting him"

"Oh" I whispered

"I know it is not an excuse. We should have been more attentive" said Tiffany sighing

After that the conversation on the dining table steered back to mundane topics. And after promising Tiffany that we would soon come over again for dinner, Charlie and I left to go back home.

On Sunday morning, I walked into the kitchen to see Charlie having fried fish for breakfast again. I swear that man lives for his beer and fried fish.

"Dad, when was the last time you got your health checked up?"

"Why do I need to get myself checked up? I am as healthy as an ox" said Charlie

"Dad surviving on beer and fried food does not fall under the category of eating healthy and let's face it you are not getting any younger"

"Did you just say that I am old?" he said feigning anger

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics.

"Dad I am booking your appointment in the hospital for next week, you are getting a full body health check up and not only you, Billy and Harry are also going to get it done. All of you'll need it"

"But Bells"

"No dad, nothing doing and if Billy and Harry refuse to get it done, tell them I will talk to Jake and Sue and they will definitely agree with me on this"

"Okay Bells. I will talk to them" said Charlie reluctantly.

"Thanks Dad"

I was concerned about Charlie and Billy's health but my main concern was Harry. His death had shattered Sue, Leah and Seth and even though I knew that something like death is inevitable atleast I could try. Maybe an early detection could lend him some more time.

On Sunday evening, Harry and Sue had thrown a party on first beach to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. The entire tribe was invited and Charlie and I were the only outsiders. I remembered that in the past also I had been invited to this same party but I had refused to go and Charlie had gone alone. We took my truck instead of Charlie's cruiser. First Beach had been beautifully decorated. A huge crowd had already arrived by the time we reached.

I was introduced to Joy Ateara, Quil's mom who was extremely famous in entire La Push and Forks for her Jam recipe and Old Quil who gave me an all knowing smile. The smile which says I know something that you don't. I did not think too much about it.

Leah did not mingle much with anyone but was atleast not scowling at the other guests and gave me a brief smile when saw me. Seth was the adorable 13 year old who was always smiling and even when teased took it in stride. Jacob, Embry, Quil, Jared and a few of their other friends from school were playing football. I noticed that Sam was missing, probably patrolling and even Emily was nowhere to be seen. And another person whose absence I noticed was Paul. He was either not coming or was running late.

I spoke to some of the other girls around including Kim, who in future was going to become Jared's imprint. I found out that I had a lot in common with Kim. Just like me she liked reading and cooking and was quite shy. I noticed her observing Jared again and again from the corner of her eyes making her crush on him so obvious. And he still did not realize it. Boys are so oblivious sometimes.

I was talking to Caroline Littlesea, future pack member Collin Littlesea's older sister when I heard a voice that somehow always managed to bring a smile on my face these days.

"And we meet again beautiful cygnet"

I turned towards the voice to look at Paul standing with his arms crossed smirking at me.

"What did you call me?" I asked him

Caroline excused herself and Paul came near to stand by me.

"I called you by your name Bella means Beautiful and a young swan is called a cygnet and you sure are beautiful and young."

I blushed

"Well I have absolutely no idea what your name means" I said slightly giggling

"Paul means humble and I seriously doubt the credibility of my name" said Paul

I laughed

"So I heard you are a junior in Forks high?" asked Paul

"Yes what about you?"

"Same I am a junior in LPH, the La Push high school"

"Oh"

"I have never seen you around here before and I didn't even know Chief Swan had a daughter to be honest"

"Yes I just moved here. I used to live with my mom in Arizona. She got married and wanted to move around with her new husband. But I used to come here every year till I was thirteen. Jacob and I used to make mud pies on this very beach."

"And here I thought Jacob became like this after he grew up" mumbled Paul

"So do you like it here?" asked Paul

"At first no but then this place started growing on me" I replied honestly

"Well that's good then" said Paul

"Hey Paul" someone shouted from where a group of people were now playing volleyball. "You coming to play?"

"Coming Gary" shouted Paul

"You joining us?" asked Paul looking at me

"I am not the most coordinated person when it comes to sports so I'll have to say no. I will see you later though"

"Ya later" said Paul giving me a smile before running off to where his friends were standing.

I was taking my plate when I felt someone come and stand next to me.

"Can we talk?" asked Emily looking frazzled

I looked around. People were not paying attention to us but this was not a conversation we could have where someone could hear us.

"Come with me"

I led Emily towards the end of the beach where very few people were seated and they were far away from hearing range.

"Okay now tell me what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked

"I don't know who to talk to this about. Leah was my best friend but even though she knows the truth she refuses to talk to me and Sue and Seth don't know the truth so I can't tell them anything and I would not be comfortable sharing this with Harry and I don't know anyone else who will understand and.." she was rambling.

"Emily stop I am here. Now tell me what did you want to talk about?"

"Sam"

"What about him?"

"He imprinted on me"

"Yes I know" I said "And you are confused about it" I stated after a minute

She nodded her head.

"We just met a week back Bella and he said that he is already in love with me. I am just nineteen, I don't know if I am ready for something so serious. How do I know that it is him who likes me and not his wolf who is fascinated by me and he won't regret being with me one fine day?"

"Emily, life is about taking risks and as Sam must have mentioned, he will be whatever you want him to be. If you want a friend that is what he will be. You can take it at your own pace and you should consider yourself lucky that you found the one for you so early on in life. I can assure you this that though the wolf likes you, the man is also equally involved. Just give him a chance Emily you will not regret it."

"But I live in Makah. I don't even live here"

"Talk to Sam about this. I am sure you'll will find some way out"

"But what about Leah and Harry and Sue and society. They will blame me for ruining Leah's happiness and call me a boyfriend stealer"

"Leah understands Emily, she may not like it but she knows that you or Sam are not to blame. Harry is on the tribal council and knows the truth. Yes Sue will be upset but she will soon accept it when she sees how happy and meant to be you'll both are and society will always have something to say in any given matter. You cannot let them rule your life."

She nodded her head

"I will talk to Sam" she said

"Yes do so"

"Let's get back to the party" she said after a few minutes of silence.

A/N: Next chapter Bella goes back to school and meets Edward. If you have any suggestions for where Paul should take Bella on their first date please let me know. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5-

Come Monday morning I was a bundle of nerves. Today was my first day in Forks high and I would have to pass through that trauma all over again of being the new girl. Though technically I wasn't the new girl but of course I could not tell them that.

It was a foggy day with slight drizzling. Breakfast was a quiet event as I was too nervous to have a conversation. Charlie understood and tried making the mood lighter by sharing the story of his first day in junior year at Forks high. Though our situations were completely different I was thankful to him for relaxing me a bit. After Charlie left to go the station after wishing me Good Luck, I sat on the mismatched chairs in our dining area and pondered over the current situation. Today I would have to face Edward, Alice and all the other Cullen's. Was I ready to see them?

In this past one week, I had had a few realizations. And I was terribly confused. Was I actually in love with Edward or was I in love with the idea of having him around me and doting on me? I was a loner when I lived in Arizona, who was more concerned with her books and domestic responsibilities than partying and boyfriends. Edward had been the first boy to show interest in me. Had I mistaken my attraction towards him to be love and he himself had said that Vampires have the power to dazzle humans or was I overthinking about this.

Yesterday after noticing Harry and Sue behave around one another I had realized what true love was. You could just see it in their eyes that even after twenty years of being married how happy and in love they were. In case we would have got married, would I have loved Edward even after twenty years or would it have faded with time?

These questions were swirling in my mind.

I was still not sure what my feelings towards Paul were. Sure he was funny and brought a smile on my face whenever he was around and if I was being honest with myself, he was pretty good looking and I could have a teeny tiny crush on him but I did not want to make the same mistake twice. With Edward I had fallen hard from day one. We had been seriously involved with one another from the first day itself and that had led to me to behave like a drug addict on withdrawal symptoms when he left me.

No, I would take it slow with Paul. I would give him as well as myself the time to get to know one another before thinking about the next step.

Secondly I was also confused about where I stood with the Cullen family. Had I wholeheartedly accepted them because I loved them or was it because they were the first people to accept me for the way I was. The acceptance I had been craving but had not received from anyone including my parents. Alice had been my only best friend apart from my mom. Did I actually want to dress up and go shopping or was I doing it to please Alice?

I was sure about one thing though, my relationship with Charlie had changed for the better and come what may, it would remain like that.

And in order to give Paul a fair chance, as I had promised Emily and Jared and to reach a conclusion for my doubts, I had taken a decision.

I would keep my distance from the Cullens and especially from Edward. I needed time to think and I could not do that if I was around them even as friends.

After glancing at the wall clock and figuring out that I would be late to class if I didn't leave now, I sat in my truck and drove towards the high school. I parked my truck in the almost full parking lot and rushed towards the front office ignoring the stares I received from the other students. Mrs Cope was sitting on one of the desks behind the counter.

She looked up "Can I help you"

"I'm Isabella Swan and today's my first day as a junior"

Her eyes flooded with the realization that I was Charlie's daughter who had left with his estranged wife. I rolled my eyes at her reaction.

"Of Course" she mumbled and handed me a copy of the school map and my schedule. I quickly studied my schedule.

"Mrs Cope, actually I had a request to make?"

She sighed loudly and said "Yes" in an annoyed manner. I remembered Edward and Alice's schedule by heart. Edward was with me in Biology and Alice had Spanish with me. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper pretended to be seniors and hence shared no classes with me.

"I wanted to trade sixth hour biology to a different time and instead of Spanish for beginners I would like to study the advanced level." I had already studied all of this once. I could sure cope up with it.

One of my main reasons for changing my biology class timing was that, the memories of my first day in Forks high were firmly engraved in my mind. I was Edward's singer and fortunately for me, he had had immense control over himself and managed to avoid a catastrophe that day but now that I knew what was going to happen, I did not want to tempt fate by risking the same situation to happen again. Also it was cruel to let Edward go through that level of pain if it could be avoided in the first place.

She shuffled through a few papers for a while.

"Fine I will shift you to fourth hour biology and are you sure about Spanish, it will be tough"

"Yes I am sure"

She nodded her head before giving me an updated schedule and a slip that I had to return at the end of the day.

I smiled at her and left the office walking towards my first class. Just like the first time everyone stared at me like I was a specimen in a museum. Eric was the first one to talk to me and after making awkward small talk dropped me to my class, in spite of me telling him that I knew the way myself.

During Lunch I sat with Angela, Jessica, Lauren, Mike, Eric, Ben and Tyler and this time actually paid attention to their conversation. Jessica and Lauren were as always talking about clothes and makeup. No surprises there. Angela was in a deep conversation with Ben about an Essay she had written for English Class and out of everyone on this table she had been the warmest and most welcoming to me, just like last time making me realize that she was indeed a gem of a person. Mike was trying to flirt with me and regardless of me telling him repeatedly that I was not interested in him, he kept trying. Eric and Tyler were talking about some College party they were going to attend in Port Angeles on the weekend.

I felt eyes on me and turned back to see the Cullens. All five of them were sitting on a corner table in the cafeteria far away from where I was sitting. They had trays filled with food in front of them but obviously were not eating from them.

They looked the same like before, frozen in their perfection but unlike the last time, I was not mesmerized by their beauty. Yes they were eternally beautiful but I could see the imperfections hidden under their mask of perfection. I could see Rosalie's suffering at being unable to have children, Jasper's pain and thirst at being surrounded by so many humans, Emmett's boredom in repeating the same monotonous life again and again, Alice's loneliness at not being able to have any friends and Edward's agony at being a twentieth century guy listening to the vile thoughts of twenty first century teenager.

And for once I was glad that I was just a human and had the freedom to be myself without having to lead a pretentious life.

"They are the Cullens" said Jessica watching me stare at them. "That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr Cullen and his wife" she continued.

I just nodded my head

"Jasper and Alice are together and so are Rosalie and Emmett. Edward is the only single one but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good looking enough for him" she muttered bitterly.

Edward was now boldly staring at me, probably waiting for my answer.

"Wasn't thinking about it" I said and this time I actually meant it.

The rest of the day passed by without a blur and I returned the slip in the office before heading home.

The next morning when I woke up a bit earlier than usual, I noticed that I fine layer of snow was covering the yard and Charlie was attaching snow chains on my truck. I looked at the calendar to see that the date was 25th March, the day of my accident, when Tyler's van had rammed into my truck and Edward had very heroically saved me, in a way exposing his secret.

I rushed down the stairs before Charlie could leave for work.

"Dad"

He looked up. He was about to leave the house.

"I know school just started yesterday but I don't feel very good. Can I skip school today?"

He looked me worriedly "Are you okay? Do you want to see a Doctor?"

"No Dad. I just need some rest"

"Okay take the day off. I will inform your school and call me if you need anything" he said and after I nodded my head he left to go to work.

I spent the rest of the day completing my pending assignments and watching TV.

That night at the dining table Charlie looked like he wanted to say something. He was mixing around his food in his plate without eating it.

"Dad you okay? You look tensed"

"There was an accident today in the school parking lot, Bella"

"Oh" I whispered. "Is everyone okay?" I hoped Tyler was not badly injured.

"Tyler's van skidded on ice and he lost control. He hit a wall injuring himself and had to be hospitalized. Luckily it was nothing serious. I want you to be careful when you drive Bella, I have put snow chains on your truck but still. It could have been you in his place"

"Yes Dad, I am always careful when I drive." I earnestly told him.

The rest of January and most of February passed by without any difficulty. I had not yet spoken to any of the Cullens and it seemed like even they were keeping their distance. In school I had become good friends with Angela, Ben, Eric and surprisingly Lauren, who was not as bad as I had assumed her to be. Emily and I had also become very good friends and met once for dinner every few days. She was still staying with the Clearwater's but she and Sam had recently started dating. Every Saturday, we had a ritual of going to the Call's place for dinner and Embry had quickly become like the younger brother I never had. On the weekends when Charlie and Billy would go fishing, I would spend my entire day on the reservation either at the Clearwater's talking to Emily and Leah, who had recently mended bridges or with Jake, Quil and Embry in Jake's garage.

The only thing missing from my life right now was that I had not seen Paul since that party on first beach. We did not hang out in the same crowd and a small jealous part of me even wished that he would phase soon but as of now he did not look close to phasing. Jared on the other hand was showing some of the early symptoms as Sam had mentioned the last time we met. If Embry was my younger brother, Sam was my older one. He had not yet questioned me again on how I knew about shape shifters, imprinting and vampires though I had accidently slipped when he was telling me about the Cullens and had told him that I already knew that they were Vegetarian Vampires. Nonetheless like a protective older brother, he had told me to keep my distance from them and even though he had not encountered any 'leeches' till now, I knew that he often patrolled my house.

Tonight Charlie and I were going down to La Push to attend Leah's farewell dinner. She was moving to Seattle to start college and pursue a field in nursing. Apart from us both, only the Blacks and Calls were invited. The dinner was in their backyard and Harry was going to be manning the barbeque.

"Em" I rushed to hug Emily as she opened the door. To avoid confusion I had started calling Emily 'Em' and Embry 'bry'.

"Hey Bells" she hugged me back

"Sam working again tonight?" I asked when I saw how sad she looked.

"Yes, as always" she sighed

Because Sam was the only one to phase as of now, he had to patrol for nearly ten hours a day, leaving him with absolutely no time to do anything else.

"I know it is selfish but I wish someone else would join him in his work and reduce his burden" she said after looking around. Because no one else knew the truth and we could not risk exposure, we had to be careful about what we said in public.

"I know Em and they soon will" I whispered

"Hey Bella" said Leah giving me a huge smile and hugging me. Leah had completely turned a new leaf these days. She was back to being her old self like she was before her break up as Seth had told me.

"Hey Lee, you excited for college?" I asked her. She had told me how this was a dream come true for her.

"I can't tell you how excited I am" she said grinning

"I am going to miss you" I told her honestly. If someone would have told me in the past that I would be telling this to Leah Clearwater, I would have refused to believe them but it was true. I will miss having her around.

"I know and I will miss you'll too and don't worry before you know it, I will be back here to visit"

"You better do" I told her donning my most serious voice.

"Come on girls, everyone is in the backyard" said Sue coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of salad in her hands.

After seating down on one of the empty chairs, I looked around myself. Charlie, Harry and Billy were reminiscing about their childhood and were laughing. Jake, Embry and Seth were engrossed in a conversation about superheroes. Sue and Tiffany were sharing a recipe and Leah was trying to cheer up Emily who was terribly missing Sam.

I smiled to myself. This was my family.


	6. Chapter 6

hstevens0816: Thank you for your review. I hope you like this chapter. A major part of this chapter is in Paul Pov.

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the newest daughter: Thank you for your review. No, Leah will not phase in my story. I wanted her to live a normal life and not be the only female shape shifter which I felt was a bit unfair for her. Yes I agree Sam would be a great big brother.

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Chapter 6-

"Hey Bell" shouted Lauren waving at me as I entered the cafeteria. I ignored the people gawking at me and rushed towards where Lauren and my other friends were sitting. We were now in the last week of February and still most people in this school looked at me like I was from Mars.

"Hey guys wassup?" I asked as I sat next to Angela and took a bite of my cheese sandwich. Our usual table in the cafeteria had also gone through a few major changes recently, while Angela, Ben, Eric and Lauren sat with me during Lunch, Jessica, Mike and Tyler sat separately and I had caught Jessica scowling at us on several occasions.

"Guess where we are going on Saturday Bella?" said Angela grinning

"Where?" I asked her confused

"To a Party" shouted Angela making a few people turn back and look at us

"What?" I asked her mildly shocked.

"Yes, my parents are going out for the weekend and I am throwing a house party and you are cordially invited and I won't take no for an answer" clarified Lauren

I was aware about the reputation of Lauren's parties. They were wild to say in one word and so not my cup of tea.

"What no. Charlie will never give me permission and what will I do coming? I don't drink, dance or socialize" I said emphasizing the last part.

"Oh come on Bella. You need to loosen up a bit. And what do you think, Chief Swan or your mother never went partying in their school life. You are a teenager and sometimes teenagers go out and have fun." said Lauren.

I don't know about Charlie but Renee had given me horrific details about the parties she attended during high school.

"Fine, I will ask Charlie" I said reluctantly

"And you can stay over at my place after the party so you don't need to worry about curfew" suggested Angela "My parents will be there so Chief Swan should not have a problem"

I nodded my head but I was 99% sure, Charlie would say no.

He said yes. Imagine my shock.

When I asked him for permission the next day during breakfast, I refused to lie to him and go, he did not say anything for a good ten minutes. I just sat there looking at him and then at my empty plate waiting for the lecture to come but then he said 'yes, you can go but if you drink don't drive.' He gave me a few other basic instructions which Renee had already given me when I turned fourteen, after which he handed me a bottle of pepper spray to keep in my overnight bag.

So here I was, on a Saturday evening in Angela's room getting dressed for the party. This was officially my first high school party and I was nervous as hell. In Arizona I never attended parties and with the Cullens, they did not throw such parties. Their parties were rather sophisticated than the typical high school ones.

"Do I look okay?" I asked Angela who was doing her make-up

"Yes for the hundredth time" she sighed

Mr and Mrs Weber were one of the coolest parents I had ever met. When Angela had told her father that we would be back before curfew and would not drink, he had laughed loudly and said 'I used to tell my father the same crap so that he would let me go out'.

Ben and Eric were picking us up and then we were driving together to Lauren's house in the outskirts of Forks. Her house was located on a secluded street and she did not have any neighbors for miles so she could comfortably play loud music during parties without disturbing anyone.

By the time we reached, the party was in full swing. Lauren's sister had come home from College and had invited some of her friends too. Music was blasting on a loud volume and there was a Karaoke machine set up in the living room. In the garden outside, which was also decorated with lights, people were dancing and drinking root beer. An outdoor bar had been set up which was being tended by Lauren's sister's boyfriend. There was a beer pong table set up in one corner of the garden.

Angela and I danced for a while, as in she danced and I awkwardly moved my body. A lot of people from school had been invited. I recognized a few and spoke to them for a while. Angela and Ben were now making out in the corner and Eric had disappeared to god knows where. I was standing by the bar when I heard an unmistakable voice.

"Hey Bella" I turned back to look at the one person who had suddenly developed some sort of hatred for me.

"Hey Jessica" I gave her a warm smile and she gave me a sadistic smirk in return.

"What are you doing here?" she sneered

"Excuse me" I asked raising my eyebrow

"No offense" she said though her tone suggested just the opposite "Just that I never expected someone as boring as you to be here. So you up for a drink?" she continued pointing towards the bar.

My mind was screaming at me to refuse but a part of me wanted to retaliate. I was going to prove it to her that I was not boring and I could be fun. "Sure" I muttered out.

"Great" she said and walked towards the bar while I followed.

What was supposed to be one drink ended with me being drunk off my ass courtesy Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton.

Paul Pov-

When I received a phone call from one Lauren Mallory a week back inviting me to a party at her place, my first reaction was 'sorry who'.

It is not like I don't have a good memory. In fact I have a supersonic memory and remember the minutest details but I had just met her once and that also only for a short while and damn was she clingy.

We had met at a mutual friend's house six months back and she had spent the entire evening trying to flirt with me ignoring the very fact that my then girlfriend Stacy was sitting right next to me. As a matter of fact that night had ended with Stacy emptying her glass of wine on Lauren's head. So imagine my surprise when I got a call from her inviting me to a party that she had thrown for her 'close friends' or so she claimed.

Now I could think of a hundred things to do on a Saturday night which did not involve going to a girl I barely knew's house. But still here I was on my bike driving to the Mallory house in Forks. I blame Jared for this. Jared Cameron had been my best friend since we were in Kindergarten and we had literally grown up like brothers doing almost everything together. And after growing up that was often being the other's wingman in picking up girls and these days, Jared had taken a serious liking towards a girl named Mellissa Stewart who lived in Forks and attended Forks high as a junior. And somehow Jared had got internal information from somewhere that Mellissa was going to be there in this party and that was rare because she never attended parties or gave any guy the time of the day. And she had also recently become a free bird with her dumping her long distance boyfriend. And guess who was being forced to go as Jared's wingman. Yes, that's right, Me.

It was not that I did not like partying or getting laid for that matter because that would be a big fat lie. The truth was that these days my eye had been caught by a certain someone and no other girl could compare. I know it sounds sappy but that's the truth. I had just met her twice but she was special. There was something about her that pulled me towards her but she was so innocent and deserved more than a casual fling.

I was pulled out of my reverie when I saw Jared park his bike right next to mine in the driveway of the Mallory house. There were ample of vehicles parked and extremely loud music was blasting from the speakers in the house.

"Bro, you ready to party?" Jared excitedly shouted so that I could hear his voice over the booming music.

I rolled my eyes at his attempts to sound cool and rubbed my ears after listening to his high pitched voice. I did not fancy losing my hearing so early on in life.

Before I could answer he sprinted towards the door. Okay, so someone is really excited to meet Mellissa Stewart.

Lauren met us at the door and pulled me into her arms giving me a long hug before I could protest. After letting me go and exchanging the usual pleasantries she looked next to me with a confused expression probably wondering who this happy puppy on drugs was before reaching the conclusion that it really did not matter. There were way too many people in the similar situation like Jared roaming around in this party. After giving us the usual 'Have fun' she went off to welcome a few other guests and Jared ran off to find the subject of his fascination while I took a glass of root beer and walked towards where people were dancing.

That is when I saw her. Her back was turned towards me so I could not see her face but she had silky chestnut brown hair which fell till her mid back. She was slender and yet had curves in all the right places but the thing that pulled my attention to her was that she was doing the most sensuous dance that I had ever seen in my life. It was extremely erotic.

I stared at her for a few minutes observing her in her glory before she turned her face to face me and I almost spat out my drink.

"Bella" I shrieked out in shock

She looked up when she heard her voice and her eyes met mine and then she did something I had never expected her to do, she winked at me.

"Pauly Pauly" she screamed and ran towards me jumping into my arms as soon as I was at arms distance. She reeked of alcohol confirming to me that she was in fact inebriated.

"How trashed are you Swan?" I asked her laughing and supporting her in standing

"Trashed?" she asked confused "I am not drunk. I am just a bit.." she quietly stood there putting a finger on her cheek as if she was contemplating her next word "Tipsy" she slurred.

I laughed again "Swan you are a bunch of surprises you know? I thought you were a goody two shoes girl but I am pleasantly surprised I must say"

She gave me an award winning smile and pulled me towards the dance floor.

If I found the usual Bella pretty, this woman in front of me was a goddess. She had a charisma about her that enamoured me leaving me week in the knees.

"Swan does your father know that you are here?" I asked her.

She nodded her head but I highly doubted that chief swan would be happy with the state in which his only daughter was right now.

We danced for a while before Bella pulled me towards the Beer pong table.

"Bella, I really don't think you should drink anymore" I said becoming the voice of reason

"Oh shut up. Don't be a party pooper" slurred Bella confidently

It was obvious from her behavior that she had never drank before this and she had clearly had way too many drinks today.

"Bella, who are you here with?" I asked her. Maybe I could find the person who left her like this in a party.

"An.. Ange" she spoke out

"Who the fuck is Ange now?"

She ignored me "Come on let's play"

We played a game of beer pong in teams of two, us both versus two geeky kids from Forks and we ended up winning.

After that we successfully made our way back into the house. This house was looking more and more like a Bermuda triangle to me. I could not find Jared anywhere and even this Ange person was missing and so was half the crowd. I am assuming all the rooms in Lauren's house were currently occupied.

I also ended up making a new discovery in the next half an hour when Bella decided to showcase her singing skills in Karaoke. She was a terrible singer, completely off tune and it was a surprise how the windows in this house did not crack.

I forcefully fed her some hot dogs and tacos so that the effect of alcohol would lessen slightly but it was of no use.

"Come on Swan. I will drop you home" I said taking her hand in my hand. Of course I did not want to drop her home in this condition and chief swan would probably take out his gun when he saw us like this but I did not know whether she had a curfew or not and I did not want Chief Swan sending out a search party for her and it was getting pretty late.

"No" she shouted "I don't go home" she mumbled incoherently.

I knew I had to drop Bella to her home safely. I could not take her anywhere else. If I took her to the Blacks or Clearwaters or even Tiffany's, the matter would only escalate from there. In a tribe as small as ours there would be too much gossip if anyone saw her and Bella was not a drunkard and I would not let anyone judge her. And I could not even take her to my own house to sleep the effect of alcohol off. Even though I had met Bella just a few weeks back, I knew she would not be comfortable waking up in a perpetual stranger's house and would be embarrassed.

Where the hell was this Ange girl?

"Come on Bella, you have to go home" I said grabbing her small hand in my big one.

"No" she yanked her hand out of my grip "First Beach" she mumbled

"Now?" I asked her raising my eyebrows

She nodded her head. She was sure stubborn when she was drunk.

"Okay fine but just for a little while" I sighed

She gave me a big grin reminding me of a toddler getting their favorite candy.

We quietly walked out of the house. Bella could still not walk straight and I was holding her body tightly to keep her from falling.

"Bella, I am here on my bike so you will have to hold me tightly when you sit behind me. Okay?" I asked her sharply.

She nodded her head though I was not sure how much she was comprehending.

I made her sit on the bike before sitting and clasped her arms around my waist.

We had just started driving towards the reservation when Bella shouted excitedly "Pauly see we are flying" and she made a flying motion with her hand. Firstly what kind of pet name is 'Pauly?'

She then started singing a lullaby and patting my head in a soothing manner. What is she trying to do? Is she trying to put me off to sleep?

Bella Swan was sure one weird chick when drunk.

Finally after twenty minutes we reached First beach. It was completely empty considering that it was almost 1:45 Am.

We sat on a piece of driftwood. Her head resting on my shoulder. I don't know why but I was feeling completely content right now like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. The relief a thirsty man feels when he finds water in the middle of a desert. I was feeling something like that and it was a strange feeling which I could not understand.

I looked beside me to see Bella removing her coat.

"Bella what are you doing? It is freezing out here?" I said alarmed

She made a curious face "Nah. It is hot" she sighed

She ended up removing her coat and I had to use all my power to stop her from untying her halter neck top.

"Pauly, can I tell you a secret?" she said after a few minutes of silence, now completely serious.

"Ya Sure"

"You are cute" she slurred in a babyish voice

Cute? No one had ever called me cute till date.

"Well thank you" I smiled

Her brown eyes met mine and she brought her face closer to mine. If I just stretched myself a little more my lips would have met her soft plump ones. Just as our lips were going to connect I pulled back realizing that she was drunk and in no control of herself. No I could not take advantage of her.

"Swan you are drunk" I told her

She just made a sound which sounded like 'hmm' and rested her head again on my shoulder. I soon felt her eyes closing and her falling asleep.

She was definitely something special.


	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 7-

Charlie was livid. He was pacing the living room muttering to himself. His face was red and I could see a vein popping out on his forehead. I had never seen him this angry in my life.

"How could you Bella?" he spat out. I could clearly read it on his face that he was disappointed with me.

I just sat there holding my head in my hands. Last night was a blur to me. The last thing I remembered was Jessica telling me to take a drink. I knew I should have listened to the rational side of my mind but no, my ego had to come in between. I had woken up this morning with a pounding headache wearing the same clothes as last night. Which makes me question, what exactly happen last night and why was I home? Wasn't I supposed to stay over at Angela's?

Charlie had waited for me to wake up before he stormed into my room and told me to shower and meet him downstairs in ten minutes for I quote 'A family meeting'. I had hardly had time to make a cup of coffee before I was bombarded with half disappointed and half anger filled looks.

"You are freaking seventeen years old or have you forgotten?" He shouted "Imagine my plight when a frantic Reverend Weber calls me up at 2 Am to ask me if my only daughter has made it home because she had left the party without his daughter. And let me tell you, the cherry on the cake, my intoxicated daughter turns up at my house passed out in the arms of Paul Lahote out of all people. I thought you were more mature than this Isabella Marie Swan" he bit out.

Damn it. Charlie only used my full name when he was mightily pissed.

Wait What. Paul brought me home? I don't even remember meeting him last night at the party.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" asked Charlie using his Cop voice making me feel like I was a criminal in his custody.

"I am sorry dad. I didn't mean to get drunk. I guess I got carried away" I said honestly, looking at my feet.

He nodded his head

"Now, generally I would have grounded you for this but I know you didn't mean to behave in this manner. So I am letting you go with a warning. But next time you do something like this, there will be repercussions."

"Thanks dad. I promise I will be more careful in the future" I said

"Umm Dad" I started "Did Paul actually drop me home last night?"

He nodded his head "Poor boy. He was terrified that I would shoot him and I almost did till he explained to me that he had found you in this condition, alone in the party"

Shit. From listening to other people's drunk tales, I knew that a person when under the influence of alcohol, does atleast one stupid thing that they regret in the morning. And just my luck, I had absolutely no memory of my debacle.

"Can I go and apologize to Paul right now? Also I wanted to thank him for bringing me home safely last night" I mumbled.

He nodded his head

"Bells" he said after a couple of minutes "Why don't you invite Paul over for dinner tomorrow night? Even I would like to formally thank him and apologize for how rude I was last night"

I smiled. With all that was going to happen in the future, I wanted my parents to like Paul and accept him as a son. Renee would be easy. All she ever wanted was for me to be happy irrespective of who and where but Charlie was slightly more difficult to please. Maybe my getting drunk fiasco was not completely fruitless.

"Sure Dad" I said and rushed to my room. I changed into something more presentable and applied a tinge of make up to hide the blackness under my eyes before sitting in my battered truck and driving towards the reservation.

Finding Paul's house was a complicated task even if it was on this small of a reservation. I had no idea where he lived and I had never been to anyone other than Jake and Sam's house when I used to hang out with the pack.

As my truck passed the little quaint red house, I decided to stop and ask Billy for directions. As the tribal chief he would definitely know where Paul stayed.

"Hey Billy, hey Jake" I said as I walked in through the open door. Billy was watching TV and Jake was cooking in their open kitchen.

"Hey Bells" said Jake giving me a huge smile

"Hello Bella" said Billy moving his wheelchair so that he could face me

I hugged Billy before ruffling Jake's hair. Jake was taller than me but I could still reach his head. That would become an impossible feat after he phased.

"Hey" he shouted in annoyance

"Bella come sit. You staying for lunch?" asked Billy

"No, Charlie will be waiting for me. But I need your help for something else?"

He waited for me to continue

"I wanted Paul's address"

He nodded his head before taking a piece of paper and scribbled something on it.

"Bells, why do you need Paul Lahote's address? Is he troubling you or something?" asked Jake looking concerned.

"No Jake. Nothing of that sort. Actually, he helped me out yesterday so just wanted to thank him" I said reassuring him.

"He is not a good person Bells. You should stay away from him" scorned Jake

Before I could say anything, Billy beat me to it.

"Jacob, I have told you before. You should not judge a book by its cover" said Billy strictly

Jake scowled and went back to cooking

"Bella, I think you should go and see Old Quil. He told me certain things which concern you and wanted you to meet him" said Billy. Though his tone was of a suggestion, I knew it was an order.

"Okay. I will go see him in the next week"

He nodded his head and I started walking towards the front door.

"Bella wait" said Billy "After talking to Paul, come back here. I will call your old man also. Have lunch with us"

"Okay" I smiled

Paul lived on one of the extreme ends of La Push. There were hardly any houses in the vicinity. A bike was parked in the driveway. I knocked on the main door and waited for a few minutes.

Finally Paul opened the door "Hey Bella. Come in"

I noticed that he was just wearing a towel and his hair was wet indicating that he had just taken a shower. I blushed looking at his chiseled body.

"Have a seat. I will just be back" he smirked noticing me blushing.

I sat on the couch and looked at my surroundings. Though his house was small and the exteriors were in shambles, the interiors were clean and gave a warm home like feeling.

"So, how's the hangover?" he said entering the room now fully dressed

"Ya.. About that" I started embarrassed

"Chill you don't need to be embarrassed about anything" he said reassuring me "Coffee?"

"Sure" He went to the kitchen and started making two cups of coffee. I followed him to the kitchen so that we could talk.

"I wanted to apologize about last night. I was drunk and I don't remember how I behaved also Charlie told me you dropped me home so thank you for that"

"No problem" he said smiling and handing me the cup of coffee

"But tell me one thing Bella?" he continued "Why did you drink so much in the first place?"

"Honestly I don't know. I guess I got carried away" I said sighing

"Happens" he said giving me a genuine calm smile

"By the way who is Ange?" he asked me

"Ange? Oh you mean Angela? She is a friend from school. Why?"

"You told me you were with her yesterday and I tried looking for her but could not find her"

"Oh, she probably just disappeared in thin air"

To be honest I was upset with my 'so called friends'. I know I was to be blamed for my inebriated condition but they could have stopped me from making a fool of myself.

"So will you tell me now, what all acts of stupidity did I commit yesterday?" I said slightly giggling

"Well if you are so sure" he questioned me and I nodded my head

"You danced in a pretty sexy manner" he said smirking

Dancing and me? I was born with two left feet. Wait, Sexy and me? I have never heard the adjective 'Sexy' being used for me.

I held my head in my arms and looked at him mortified.

"Oh that's not all. You played Beer pong and called me a party pooper" he pouted in an adorable manner making me laugh

"What else?" Ya let's just rip the band-aid in one go

"You also sang Karaoke"

"I am a terrible singer"

"Ya.. Everyone in Forks and La push knows this by now"

I hit him on the arm in a playful manner.

"But you know something Swan?" he said now completely serious

I looked up and waited for him to continue "You were happy, glowing in fact. You should be like this more often"

I looked at him questioningly

"Geez Swan, I don't mean get drunk more often. Sing, dance, laugh, crack lame jokes. In short be yourself. Life is too short to be a pretentious pompous ass"

I smiled

"And by the way has anyone ever told you, you look even more beautiful when you laugh and have fun" he said bringing his mouth to my ears and saying in a low voice.

I blushed. I could feel Goosebumps on my arms and legs.

He chuckled. He sure knew how to get a reaction from my traitorous body.

"Umm Charlie wanted to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night to thank you for bringing me home safely last night" I said changing the subject

"Your father's one scary man, Swan. I almost said my mental goodbyes"

I hit him on the arm again "he is a cop and a father"

"So you coming tomorrow?" I asked him

"Sure"

"So I will see you at 6?"

He nodded his head

"Oh by the way, you kept calling me Pauly for some reason. Terrible nickname if you ask me and you also called me cute" he said giving me his trademark smirk.

I decided to take his advice and channel my inner confidence "You are cute, Pauly" I winked at him and left.

The next morning in school was an exact déjà-vu of the past. It was the day when Mike, Eric and Tyler asked me out for the spring dance. I was livid when Mike asked me out and pretty much gave him a hearing. He had the audacity to ask me to go with him after he played that stupid prank on me with Jessica, not to forget he was unofficially with Jessica since months.

And my answer this time was also the same. The only thing that did not happen was Edward talking to me. I was somehow still not on the Cullen radar and I was glad for it. Slowly but surely, Paul was making his way in my heart.

One conversation that stood out in the entire day was the one I had with Angela just before Lunch.

"Bella stop" she said from behind me as I was walking towards the cafeteria. Angela and I had not got any time to talk since morning.

"Yes Angela. How can I help you?" I said in a formal tone. I was angry on her and I was not even going to try to hide it.

"I am sorry okay. I know I messed up"

"Where were you?" I asked her

"Actually Ben and I got a little carried away and one thing led to another so we left to go back to his place" she said slightly embarrassed.

I did not know how to react to this information. I was happy for her though. Ben and she had been thinking of taking this step since weeks but still she should not have left me stranded. I was supposed to go back to her place for the night.

"I just need some time to process all of this. I will see you tomorrow" I told her and left

After that Lunch was weird as no one was talking to the other. Angela kept giving me sorrowful looks while Lauren kept glaring at me, for what reason I have no idea. Eric and Ben kept staring at all of us.

I was walking towards my truck when I saw Lauren standing in front of it.

"Yes Lauren" I sighed

"How do you know Paul Lahote?"

"Umm he is a friend" I said. I could not understand her curiosity.

"Stay away from him. He is mine" she sneered

Wow, delusional much. I rolled my eyes.

"Ya and that is why he decided to spend time with me instead of you" I told her calmly

She gave me another glare but moved out of my way. I sighed again and sat in my truck.

That night I was reading a book in my room when I received a call. I checked my phone to see Emily calling.

"Hey Em"

"Bella" her voice was filled with panic

"What is wrong Emily?" I asked her worriedly

"Jared phased"


	8. Chapter 8

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Chapter 8-

'Jared Phased'

Two words which had changed the course of my night. After getting off the phone with a panicked Emily, I had rushed towards the reservation ignoring the fact that it was almost midnight. Jared had run away in his wolf form and Sam had gone after him to calm him down and bring him back. That was all the information Emily and I had from when Sam had phased back to inform us that he would be gone for a while.

It was 7:30 in the morning now and we still had no news from Sam. We were sitting in the living room of Sam's house waiting for them to come back. I had called up Charlie an hour back informing him that I was on the Res and had given him the excuse that Emily was not feeling well so I had come over to look after her and thus I had been allowed to take the day off from school.

"Em, it's going to be okay. You need to calm down" I consoled her

"Sam told me that Jared was so scared Bella. Like he could not believe what was happening. He is hardly 17" sighed Emily

"I know Emily. Too young to be pulled into this world"

I thought back to what Jake had told me about the Pack and their ages when they phased. Poor Seth had phased at 14 and Brady and Collin at 13. They were forced to prematurely grow up and instead of being normal teenagers, participate in Supernatural wars they had no purpose being in.

A sudden rage took over me and at this very instant I hated the Cullen's for ever coming back to Forks. I know that they prefer staying in this part of the Olympic Peninsula because of the climate and the fact that they can 'play human' and live like a human being but is their pretend play more important than the lives of a bunch of kids.

All of them Sam, Jared, Paul, Embry, Jacob, Leah, Seth, Quil, Brady and Collin had lost so much because of the Cullen's greed to live in society.

Why live somewhere where you knew that your appearance would cause the life of someone else to drastically change?

I did not realize when Emily came to sit next to me on the couch and hugged me as a way to calm her as well as me. By a twist of Fate, Jared had phased for the first time in front of Sam and Emily who were returning home from dinner, after having a fight with his younger brother. And Emily had seen him writhe in pain as his bones shifted to accommodate his new self. Emily was one of the most maternal people I knew and this was very hard on her and so a terrified Emily had called me up.

Sam came barging in through the front door at that very moment. His face exhausted and looking much older than his nineteen years of age.

Emily ran up to him and pulled him in her arms peppering his face with Kisses. I turned back to give them this moment of privacy.

"He ran all the way till Canada" said Sam looking at me, still holding Emily tightly in his arms "I had to alpha order him to come back"

"Oh where is he now?" I asked Sam

"In the backyard he was howling at first. Currently he is lying on his stomach and whimpering." Sighed Sam "He refuses to listen to me and is not calm enough to phase back"

"Can I talk to him?" I asked

Sam and Emily gave me shocked looks.

"No way, he is unstable right now"

"Please Sam I will be careful" I reassured him

He sighed again "Fine. But I will be standing right next to you. He makes one movement and you are out of there"

I nodded my head

He motioned me to follow him and walked out of the house. And as he had said, in his backyard a horse sized brown wolf lay whimpering on his stomach. His muzzle was wet and he looked as forlorn as a wolf could look.

"Hey Jared" I went near to where he was lying down ignoring Sam's look of concern.

He made no sign that he had heard me

"I know you are confused and worried. You don't know what has happened to you and why you have changed into a wolf right?" his huge black eyes looked at me in question.

I sat on the floor and took his big head in my lap petting his fur. Even Emily had come outside to see us by now.

"You remember the Quileute legends of spirit wolves?"

He nodded his head after a few minutes

"You are a protector now, Just like Sam" I said pointing towards Sam

He whimpered again

"I know you are worried but it is not all bad. You get werewolf strength, speed and looks. You will also get new brothers for life and an imprint that you will love and cherish."

He looked at me again in question

"You want to know what an imprint is."

He nodded his big head

"Well I will let Sam tell you everything you need to know but for that you need to think human thoughts and phase back."

I got up from where I was sitting on the floor and after looking once at Sam, took Emily's hand and went inside the house giving them the space to talk in wolf form and help Jared phase back.

It was almost half an hour before Sam reentered the house, a human Jared on his heels.

Sam came and hugged me before whispering 'Thanks' in my ear.

Jared awkwardly stood in front of me "Hey" he said after a few minutes

"Hey"

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me out. I don't even know your name and yet you risked your life to help me so..."

"Bella" I interrupted him "My name is Bella Swan and that was no problem" I said smiling "Take it as a thank you from my side for something you did for me"

"Huh" he looked confused

"Get used to it Jared. Bella sometimes talks in cryptic." Said Sam laughing

"By the way Bella you do realize that you will someday have to tell me the truth of how you know all of this right?" said Sam

"Yes Sam I know but that day is not today"

He just nodded his head

For the next two hours Sam gave Jared the details of being a protector while Emily and I made breakfast. Jacob was supposed to be the Alpha according to the black lineage but because Sam had phased first he had unknowingly become the Alpha and Jared was now the Beta.

"So Jared, as I was saying you will not be going to school till you learn how to control your anger to avoid any mishaps also you will have to stay away from your friends for their safety" said Sam

Jared looked like he wanted to protest

"Sam I have a suggestion" I said bringing everyone's attention to me

"Instead of keeping him away from his friends, why not alpha order him to not tell them anything about shape shifters? Also whenever he feels like he is about to phase, he can move away from them and with time he will become better at controlling himself"

I remembered how Jake had been after Embry had phased and sort of abandoned him and how lost Quil had been after both his best friends had joined the supposed 'Sam Uley gang'.

"Please Sam" I pleaded with him and Even Jared was pleading with his eyes

"Fine" Sam sighed "But you have to be careful"

"I will be I promise" said Jared

"But what about my parents and brother can I tell them?"

Sam was quiet for a few minutes

"If you want to you can tell your parents but I would suggest not informing your brother. The lesser people know the better. I never had to face this problem because I am an only child and my parents don't live on the res so in short it is your call" said Sam

Jared nodded his head "I will think about it"

Emily called us all for breakfast after that and what followed was a comfortable conversation at the dining table.

"By the way Sam" said Jared "you said that only wolves, parents, imprints and tribal elders can know about us Emily is your imprint hence she knows but then how come Bella is allowed to know?"

I did not know how to answer his question in an easy way but before I could say anything someone else spoke up.

"She is a pack sister" said Sam firmly leaving no room for anything else to be said

Emily gave me a huge smile and nodded her head

After breakfast Sam and Jared left for Patrol, Emily left for the Clearwater house while I drove back to Forks. The house was empty when I reached. Charlie had already left for work. Tonight Paul was coming over for dinner and I was undergoing mixed emotions. I was happy, excited, nervous, scared all at once.

I spent the entire day keeping myself busy. Every few minutes I would look up at the clock and be disappointed that it was not six yet.

Charlie came home at 5 and came into the kitchen when he saw me there.

"Hey Bells"

"Hey dad how was work?"

"The usual, you know the crime rate in Forks is next to zero"

I nodded my head and went back to my chocolate chip brownies that I had put for baking.

"So Bells" started Charlie "I hope you don't mind but I have also invited Tiff and Embry ever for dinner"

"Of course not dad I already consider Tiffany and Embry to be a part of our family" I said honestly

He laughed a little nervous laugh

"Well in that case how would you like it if Tiff became your stepmom?"

I looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before his words hit me

"Dad you are proposing?" I asked in surprise

"I was thinking of this weekend"

"I am so happy for you both" I said tearfully and gave him a hug.

At exactly 6 pm the doorbell rang and I ran to the door to open it.

"Hey" said Paul looking dapper as always

"Hi come in"

He handed me a bunch of white lilies and I blushed profusely and thanked him

"Dad Paul's here?" I said entering the living room

Charlie was as always sitting in front of the TV watching baseball

"Hello Chief Swan" said Paul in his normal confident tone

"Paul come sit. You see Baseball?"

Paul nodded his head and both of them sat down to watch the game. Tiffany and Embry also soon turned up and Embry joined the boys in watching baseball giving his running commentary.

After they finished watching the game, all of us had dinner which was filled with casual conversation. Even Embry who had made his dislike for Paul evident in the past was trying to have a civil conversation with him and Paul didn't tease him once in the entire night.

I was extremely happy when at the end of the night Charlie had told Paul to call him by his name instead of Chief Swan.

"Bella will you come for a walk with me" asked Paul taking me by surprise

"Sure" I grabbed my coat and followed him out

It was a very windy night and I pulled my coat closer to me

"So Bella, I wanted to ask you something?" asked Paul looking extremely nervous. I had seen cocky Paul, Angry Paul, heck even nice Paul but nervous Paul was a rarity.

I nodded my head

He took a deep breath before continuing "Will you go out with me on a date?"

I did not even have to think of my answer "Yes"


	9. Chapter 9

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Chapter 9-

Wednesday rolled in and school passed by as usual. Lauren was still glaring daggers at me and Jessica was still scowling whenever she saw me. But one thing that had changed was that I was talking to Angela now. I had not forgiven her completely for the party incident but after being paired up for a history assignment in the first period, I decided to atleast act cordial towards her. Trusting her again would take some time and effort from her side.

After school I decided to go and see Old Quil as Billy had told me to on the weekend. The Atearas owned the only supermarket in La Push which was run by Joy Ateara and Quil often helped her out. Old Quil travelled a lot to the neighboring tribes for tribal business. They lived in the main market area in an apartment above the supermarket.

I knocked on the apartment door only for Quil to open it

"Hey Quil"

"Hey Bells. Long time no see"

"Ya I have been busy these days. What's new in your life?"

"I went out on two dates last week. You know girls just can't resist my charm" said Quil making me laugh

"Sure Sure" I said using Jake's famous catchphrase

"So how come you are here?" asked Quil

"Is old Quil home? I wanted to meet him"

"Yes he is in his room. Sit I will call him"

I sat on the couch and he went to call Old Quil

"Bella I was just about to leave for the tribal centre. Follow me we will have our talk there" said Old Quil coming out of his room and walking towards the door.

"Grandpa, should I drop you?"

"No need. Bella you have your truck right?" asked Old Quil looking at me

I nodded my head

"Good then we should get going"

I said bye to Quil and walked out after his grandfather

Old Quil was a very silent man and apart from giving me directions to reach the tribal centre he did not utter a word preferring to look outside the window.

"Stop here" he said pointing towards a building "Follow me" he got out off the truck and walked towards the main door.

The tribal centre was an ancient looking three storied building that housed an indoor community hall for parties, a common conference room for tribal meetings and separate cabins for each of the tribal elders. There was also a reception and a seating area.

He led me towards one of the rooms which was locked

"Lorraine" he called out to the girl who was sitting at the reception "I don't want any disturbance. Make sure no one enters"

The girl nodded her head and unlocked the door we were standing outside

The room was filled with shelves consisting of old half torn books and a desk was lying in one of the corners. There was very little lighting in the room. He sat on one of the chairs and motioned me to sit on the other.

"This room is strictly for pack business and only those who know the truth can enter. You see those books they are written documentations by the last pack and as the current pack members increase we will be documenting their life as well for future reference. Now you must be thinking why you are here?" he said pushing his spectacles above his nose.

I nodded my head. I had a doubt that it was linked to my time traveling one and a half years in the past. If I remembered the potion Jared and Emily gave me belonged to Old Quil.

"You see Bella, the path which you had chosen for your life had grave consequences for not only you, an imprint but also for two other wolves of my pack and if I would not have stopped it from happening there would be a lot to pay up in the future"

"I don't understand" I muttered out

He rose his hand up as if to stop me "When I talk I don't like being interrupted. You will let me finish before you decide to speak. Is that clear?" he said sternly

I gulped and nodded my head.

"You were never meant to be with Edward. If you remember after your first day of school, Edward disappeared for a week. He was not supposed to come back. His mate was there but he was too ignorant to see her."

"His mate?" I whispered and he gave me a stern look which made me squirm back in my seat.

"Yes Tanya Denali of the Denali coven. When he decided to come back and talk to you, it changed the future. You were not supposed to know of their secrets. You would have come to La Push with Charlie when the time was right, met Paul who would have imprinted on you and through him you would have known of Vampires and Werewolves. But then you started dating Edward and you know the rest"

I did not know what to say ahead. Tanya had always liked Edward. Were they actually meant to be? I sat there like a statue and waited for him to continue.

"Now storytelling is Billy's mastery but I will try and give you a brief version of what was going to happen if Jared and Emily had not come to meet you that day. You would have gotten married, gone on your honeymoon and come back pregnant…"

I interrupted him ignoring the glare he gave me "Vampires can't reproduce"

"Silly girl" he muttered under his breath "Female Vampires can't because their body is frozen but a male vampire can get a human pregnant"

I looked at him in shock. I don't think even Carlisle knew about this.

"Now where was I? So yes, you would have come back to Forks pregnant with a hybrid child. Sam as the Alpha would have decided to kill the child as he saw the child as an unknown threat and Jacob who was madly in love with you would have decided to stand by you and break away from the current pack making his own pack with Leah and Seth." He said rather nonchalantly

I was going to have a child, a hybrid child. I was only eighteen. I did not even know if I wanted kids. I was never a maternal person and when I decided to be with Edward I had made peace with the fact that I would not have any children. And Jake was going to break away from his pack, from his brothers and friends to support me the girl who had married his mortal enemy? I had been such a terrible friend to him in the past and had broken his heart way too many times to even keep count and still he supported me when I needed help.

"After a complicated pregnancy that would have almost killed you, you would have given birth to Renesmee Carlie Cullen and Edward would have changed you inserting his own Venom. The pack would have taken this as a violation of the treaty and would attack but they would be stopped by Jacob who would have imprinted on your daughter and the pack would have to withdraw because of imprint laws." He said in one breath with an almost bored like expression as if he was reading a poorly written novel.

Jacob imprinted on my daughter? I can't believe this. Even though five minutes back I was not sure whether I wanted that child or not, the thought of him imprinting on my newborn daughter makes me cringe.

"Long story short you would have been changed and with you taking your last breath, Paul would have started going insane with violent outbursts being the first sign. A wolf cannot live without his imprint for long Bella and you becoming a vampire would be considered as good as dead. Paul would have survived for a few months utmost a year before he would have lost himself completely to the wolf and Sam would be forced to kill him as a rogue wolf is dangerous to everyone around him." He said now looking completely serious.

I closed my eyes as a few tears rolled down my cheeks. Paul would have suffered this cruel fate. The happy, smiling, sarcastic, angry Paul who had made his place in my heart in these past few days would have gone through this without any fault of his own.

"Edward and you would have soon realized that you'll were not meant to be and you'll would have mutually separated to let him be with Tanya. Jacob would have lived with Nessie but would never be completely happy with her as he was still very much in love with you. So you see Bella the consequences of your one decision"

I wrapped my arms around my torso and started crying.

He handed me a tissue "Hush now child. Not everyone gets a second chance in life. You are one of the lucky ones and you should use this chance wisely."

"Why hadn't Alice seen this? She is a seer" I whispered with a lump in my throat

"Alice sees your future based on the decisions you make and Edward had decided to talk to you and you had decided to be with him. Two days before your wedding I had a rather long dream and saw all that I just described. Now Bella, I may know everything about what is going on with my wolves and their imprints but I don't intervene till absolutely necessary and when I saw this I talked Emily and Jared into giving you this potion. Of course they did not know about my dream. So this is where you are to make your wrongs right"

"Can I stop the remaining boys from phasing?" I asked wiping a few tears. If the Cullens left, there would be a chance of the gene not activating. I could talk to Carlisle and Esme. They would surely understand.

"No phasing is in their fate and some things are inevitable. All those who were meant to phase will still phase and in the same order" he said sighing

"Oh my god, Leah" I whispered. She had just started her college and she would be forced to return.

He shook his head "Leah was never supposed to phase. Just like all the male descendants of Taha Aki, all female ones also have the wolf gene but it is recessive instead of dominant. Leah's phase was due to her uncontrollable anger and buried down resentment."

"Bella always remember 'With great power comes great responsibility' and you have the power to change your life as well as someone else's and it is your duty to use this power wisely. You cannot change things like phasing but you can make their journey easier for them."

"Now there was also another reason why I called you here. Generally it is the Alpha's imprint that is responsible for documenting the pack details. Ephraim Black's wife was looking after these books in the time of the original pack and technically Jacob's imprint should have been responsible for this but Billy, Harry and I all think that you should be assigned with this responsibility. If you accept the work you will have to read through these books and make notes in case anyone of the pack needs information on a matter related to shape shifters. You will also enter the details of all the Pack members with their phasing dates and place, their imprints, their lineage and the names and birth dates of their future children. You will be getting an income for this and will also be responsible for organizing the annual tribal events. In short if you accept this you will be a junior member of the tribal council."

I was dumbfounded and a bit flattered that they found me worthy of this position.

"I am truly honored sir that you think that I am capable enough for this work but I am an outsider to the tribe. Won't that be a problem for some members of the council?" I said

Even though I had not encountered many such people in La Push, there still were families who saw me and Charlie as Pale faces and looked at us with disdain.

"Silly girl" he muttered shaking his head "The spirits clearly don't think so. Do you know who my wife was?"

I shook my head "No"

"Molly Swan. She was Charlie's aunt and after marrying me she was a part of this tribe as much as I was and so will you be. After Paul imprints on you, you will be bound to this tribe as much as any other imprint"

"Wait does this mean Quil is my cousin" I asked raising my eyebrows

"Yes I guess second cousin or so"

"Wow" I muttered still in a daze

"So what is your decision?" he asked me after a few minutes of silence

"I accept the honor" I said smiling

"Good. Billy will be glad to hear. He was rooting for you to accept" he said giving me a genuine smile

"The keys will be with Lorraine, whenever you want to enter the room, take it from her. Also the books cannot be taken outside and as of now this is your office" he said pointing towards the four walls.

I thanked him before locking my new office and dropping Old Quil back to his apartment.

Thursday followed by the same way. After school, I drove down to the tribal centre. Charlie had been ecstatic when I informed him of my new job and so had Sam and Emily. After reading through some old manuscripts I had called it a day and had driven down to Sam's house to meet Emily. Emily was in the process of renovating the entire house so that she could move in by the end of the month. Sam and Jared had joined us after Patrol and we had had dinner together.

Today was Friday, the day before my date with Paul. Paul had told me that he would pick me up on Saturday at 11 although he had refused to divulge details of where we were going. When I asked him he said it was a surprise and he would like to keep it so.

Today was also Jared's first day back to school after phasing. He had shown remarkable control over his anger and so Sam had allowed him to go back just days after phasing.

"Bella, what are you thinking about?" asked Angela pulling me out of my thoughts

We were both sitting in my room currently. Angela had come over to study and complete our history assignment due on Monday.

"Nothing" I muttered

"Come on spill"

"I have a date tomorrow"

"Oh my god, with who?" she asked nearly shouting in excitement

"Paul Lahote. He lives in La Push"

She suddenly became serious.

"Bella, is this the same Paul that Lauren likes?"

"Ya I guess"

She shook her head "In that case if you really like this guy, you need to be careful Bella. I know Lauren since we were kids and she will stoop down to any extent to get what she wants and mind you she plays dirty and if the rumors of you going out with him reach her, she will go wild"

"Great just what I need, an enemy" I muttered sarcastically

After Angela left I drove down to the Reservation. Emily wanted some help with the interiors and she had asked me to help.

I was sitting on the couch in Sam's living room talking to Emily when Jared came barreling in with a huge grin on his face. He enveloped us both in bear hugs.

"Guess what?" he said nearly jumping with enthusiasm

"What?" asked Emily

"I imprinted"

Both of us stared at him with our mouths open. I knew Jared would imprint on Kim but I did not expect it to happen on his first day back to school.

"Who is she?" asked Emily close to jumping in enthusiasm herself

"Her name is Kim Connweller. She sat next to me in English and she is perfect" said Jared

Even thinking about her brought a huge smile on his face and both of us congratulated him.

"Tell me something?" he said sitting opposite us on the couch "How should I break it to her? Like should I just go and tell her directly that I imprinted on her or should I wait?" he asked nervously

"I don't have much experience on this. The circumstances were totally different for me and Sam" whispered Emily

Jared looked at me for an answer

"Take her out on a few dates, woo her before you break the news to her"

He nodded his head "I have to go for Patrol. I will see you'll later"

"Oh by the way Bella" said Jared stopping at the door "Have fun on your date tomorrow"

He playfully winked at me before leaving me to answer Emily's questions.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, Followed and Favorited my story. I am glad you like it.

Chapter 10-

I could not sleep the entire night before my first date with Paul. I was too anxious and kept turning in the bed. My mind was a thousand miles away. It did not help that in the early evening a florist had come knocking on our door with a bouquet of white lilies and an anonymous letter stating 'Be ready at 11 am wearing your finest beach wear'.

So naturally come Saturday morning I was tired yet overexcited. I bounced down the stairs all the way to the kitchen. Grabbing a pop tart and making myself a cup of coffee, I kept glancing at the clock.

Charlie had not been too enthusiastic when I informed him of my date today but I guess it had more to do with the fact that I was going out on a date than to do with the fact that it was with Paul Lahote. Renee on the other hand was ecstatic. She had literally threatened me to give her details as soon as I was back from my date and she had also told me to attach a photo of Paul with the e-mail.

After breakfast and a quick shower, I got dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Charlie was working today and had already left for the station. I was applying mascara when the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock exactly 11 am. Wow Paul was sure punctual.

I galloped down the stairs and opened the door. There he stood wearing a casual pair of shorts and a wife beater with a beautiful smile on his face.

"Hey" he grinned

"Hey you"

"Oh this is for you" he said handing me a bouquet of white lilies and a heart shaped box of Ferrero Rocher.

I turned crimson "Thanks" "How did you know about this?" I asked pointing towards the box of chocolates. I doubt anyone in Forks or La Push knew about my love for Ferrero Rocher. As a kid with a rather sweet tooth I would keep munching on either this or Toblerone

He rubbed the back of his neck "Well I have my sources" he replied vaguely

I raised my eyebrow. Not even Charlie would have known this and Paul had no way of contacting Renee to ask her.

"Fine Jacob told me" he muttered after a few minutes of silence

I was surprised that Jake remembered such a trivial detail about me. Then again I used to spend my entire day with him when I used to come over as a kid to live with Charlie. The twins Rachel and Rebecca were two years older than me and kept to themselves.

"He told you willingly?" I asked in shock knowing the dislike Jake harbored for Paul.

He shook his head "I blackmailed him but you get the drift"

I giggled "Thanks once again though"

I quickly kept the chocolates and the bouquet in the kitchen before joining him on the porch.

"So we are going to the beach huh?" I asked

"Yup it is a nice sunny day for a picnic" he replied grinning

"Cool let's go" I smiled back ignoring the butterflies in my stomach

"So I hope you don't mind traveling on this" he said pointing towards his bike "Trust me it will make our journey better"

I shook my head "No problem"

Charlie would kill me if he found out about this. That man hated bikes from the bottom of his heart but then again things that he has no knowledge about will not hurt him.

He handed me a helmet and I sat behind him on the bike.

"Hold on to me tightly"

I wrapped my arms around his waist and he started driving through the narrow lanes of Forks. I could feel the cold wind on my face and body leaving me shivering. My hair was getting tangled but this feeling of freedom I was experiencing was exhilarating. It was similar to flying and I just could not compare a car ride to this.

We soon exited Forks and I could see the border stating that we were now entering La Push. He took a few turns before parking the bike near Third Beach.

I had only been to Third beach once or twice in the past preferring to go to First or second beach instead. Third beach was known for its calmness and lack of crowd. Mostly everyone hung out at the other two beaches.

"I figured that we could have our date in privacy on third beach. First and Second beach are always crowded and I did not want anyone to become our third wheel on our first date itself" he said shrugging making me giggle

He grabbed a picnic basket and we started walking towards the beach in silence

He lay down a mat on the sand near the sea and motioned me to sit, joining me on the mat after I sat. The sun was shining brightly and the warmth it produced felt good on my skin. I closed my eyes and soaked the heat.

I could feel his eyes on me and it made me shiver

"So" I said opening my eyes "Tell me something about yourself like where did you grow up, likes, dislikes etc?" I asked trying to get to know him better.

He shrugged "Nothing much to say. I was born in Tacoma. My parents moved back to La Push when I was a few months old. Embry is my half brother but I am assuming you already know that"

I nodded my head

"My parents divorced when I was three after which my mom left town and I stayed back with my father. He skipped town when I was fifteen and I have lived alone since then. I like playing football and running and I don't dislike anything as such" he continued

"What about you how was your childhood?" he asked

"Renee and Charlie divorced when I was almost two year old. I lived with Renee and my grandmother in Riverside, California till I was six then we moved to Phoenix after my grandmother's death. I used to spend the summer in Forks with Charlie till I was thirteen. My childhood was pretty good. My mom is a bit flighty but she never neglected me and was my best friend growing up. When she remarried I moved back here"

"Do you regret her getting married and you moving here?" he asked. I could see the curiosity mixed with worry in his eyes and I knew that even if I said yes and proved myself to be a bad daughter he would still not judge me for it.

I shook my head "No I am happy for her and to be honest I love it here. This place has grown on me" I said talking about Forks as well as La Push.

"That's good" he said "You want something to eat?" he asked opening the picnic basket

"Sure"

He took out sandwiches, cheese crackers, cookies and muffins

"This is really good" I said taking a bite of the turkey and ham sandwich "Did you make it?"

"No, I am a total disaster in the kitchen. Almost burnt my house twice" he said laughing "My friend Jared's mom Jane prepared all of this"

"That's very sweet of her"

"Yes, she was like a mother to me while growing up"

I nodded my head "So tell me your favorite food"

"Anything edible" he shrugged "You?"

"Pancakes that was the only thing Renee could successfully make without burning"

"Favorite color" he asked

"Changes every day, today is blue" I said "Favorite animal" I asked

"Horse" "what about you?"

"Wolf" "Favorite movie" I asked

"Spider man" he said

"I prefer Super man in comparison to Spider man" I said honestly

He mock sighed "Come on now seriously"

For the next fifteen we argued on which superhero is better before finally giving up and moving on.

"Coming back to the topic, my all time favorite movie is Titanic" I said

"That is such a chick thing to say" he uttered nibbling on a sandwich

"That is rude okay. I take offense to it and guess what, we are seeing titanic on our next date" I shouted before I realized what I had just said.

"Next date huh?" he smirked

I blushed "So when is your birthday?" I asked changing the topic

"2nd May" he said "What about you?"

"13th September" "Favorite book?" I asked

"Harry Potter series" he said "Yours?"

"Wuthering heights"

"So you want to play UNO?" he asked taking out a pack of cards from the picnic basket

"Sure"

We played UNO for the next two hours bickering over the rules more than once finally ending the game with me winning.

"You want to go cliff diving?" he asked me after a while

I looked at him wide-eyed. The last time I had jumped from those cliffs I had almost died but I had loved the adrenaline rush.

"It is not dangerous. Most of us jump from the lower cliffs for recreation" he said probably taking my silence as hesitation.

"Okay" I nodded removing my t-shirt and shorts only wearing my bathing suit now.

His eyes looked over me for a few minutes making me blush before he took out his own t-shirt and led me towards the cliffs.

"Ready?" he asked me as we reached the cliff top

I closed my eyes and hesitantly nodded before jumping into the ice cold water. He jumped seconds after me. We cliff dived a few more times, jumping with our hands entwined the final time.

We played in the water for some more time splashing one another before retiring to the beach when the sun was about to set.

"Walk with me" he whispered

I nodded my head. It was a beautiful sight. I could see the sunset in water making the whole sight look picturesque.

I laid my head down on his shoulder and we started walking. He told me about his school and his school friends. How he was the most mischievous boy in school and the pranks he had played on his classmates. I told him about my school life in Phoenix and how different it was from Forks. We spoke about everything and anything from the most embarrassing moment of our life to the best day of our life.

"I had a great time today" said Paul after a while

"Me too" I mumbled

"I would like to do this again sometime"

"Me too" I whispered enclosing his hand in my hand

We walked for some more time in silence taking in the serenity surrounding us.

"Come I will drop you home, Charlie will be worried"

I nodded my head internally wishing that this moment would never end.

I sat behind him on the bike tightly wrapping my arms around him as he drove back to Forks. I was absolutely content for possibly the first time in my life.

He parked the bike outside my house and got off walking with me to the door. I could see the lights on in the house signaling that Charlie was in.

We stopped outside the front door and he brought his face closer to mine. I quickly reciprocated and wrapped my arms around him. He took my face in his hands and his soft plump lips met mine. It was magical. I had never been kissed with this much intensity and I never wanted this to end. We finally let go of one another when it was necessary to breathe. He pecked me once more on the lips before telling me that he will call me soon and walking towards his bike. He waited for me to open the door and enter before I heard his bike drive away.

"Bella is that you?" asked Charlie coming out of his room

"Yes dad"

"How was your date?"

"It went well dad" I replied joyfully and a little embarrassed "I will be in my room" I said before he could ask me any more questions

After I changed my clothes I lied down on my bed and reminisced about my first kiss with Paul. A quote by Nicholas Sparks came into my mind "It wasn't that long and it certainly wasn't the kind of kiss you see in movies these days, but it was wonderful in its own way, and all I can remember about the moment is that when our lips touched, I knew the memory would last forever."

The last thought I had before I drifted off to sleep was that I could be in love with Paul Lahote.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed and favorited my story. I am glad you'll are liking it.

Chapter 11-

By the time I woke up the next morning, Charlie had already left for his date with Tiffany. He had left a message for me on the counter saying, Billy had called and invited me over for lunch. The twins Rachel and Rebecca had given him a surprise by visiting and hence Billy had thrown an impromptu lunch party.

I quickly showered and after eating breakfast and baking a bunch of brownies for dessert, got ready to leave for the reservation.

The little red house was packed with people by the time I reached. The Clearwater's with the exception of Leah and the Ateara's, Embry, Billy's sister Connie Littlesea and her children Caroline and Collin were in attendance.

Rebecca had recently married a Hawaiian Surfer named Solomon and was currently pregnant with their first child and Rachel was studying Veterinary at the University of Seattle. I introduced myself to them before joining Sue and Joy in the kitchen to help them out in cooking lunch.

"Bells a word?" asked Jake entering the kitchen

Jake, Embry, Quil, Seth and Collin had been in Jake's garage since the time I had arrived.

"Sure"

I excused myself from the kitchen and followed him out. We exited the house and walked a little ahead towards the woods. Jacob looked tense. He had still not said a word to me.

"Jake are you okay?"

He took a deep breath "Paul Lahote Bella seriously" I could hear the anger in his voice.

Though I knew what was coming I waited for him to continue

"He is not a good person Bells. He uses girls and then dumps them" he sighed "I worry about you. I don't want you to get your heart broken" he said looking at the floor

"Jake, people change with time. And secondly I cannot judge Paul on the basis of his past because that would be unfair to him but I can assure you this that Paul makes me happy, happier than I ever thought I could be and I won't end up with a broken heart"

"But Bells" he sighed again

"Please Jake. You are my best friend. I need you to be happy for me. Please can you give him one chance, for me?" I gave him my best pleading look

"Fine but if he hurts you he will have to answer me" said Jake donning his most serious voice making me laugh. Even though Paul was not a wolf as of yet, he could easily take on Jake.

"Done" I said smiling

We walked back towards the house and Jake went back to playing video games with the others. Billy was in a serious conversation with Old Quil and Solomon. Rebecca was talking to Caroline and Connie, Sue and Joy were involved in their own conversation.

"Hey Bella" said a voice

I turned back to see Rachel Black standing behind me. Even as a child I used to hardly talk to Rachel. Whenever I came over and if the twins were around, I used to talk to Rebecca more.

"Hey Rachel how are you?"

"I am good. College is keeping me busy. How are you? I heard you have moved in with your dad?"

"I am also good. My mother remarried so I have moved back to Forks"

"Oh that's good. So I heard that you and Paul…" she said leaving her sentence hanging

I sighed. I knew that this was just the tip of the ice berg. I did not even need to ask her how she knew that I had been on a date with Paul. In a tribe this small, everyone knew everything and if you did something in the morning by evening everyone was aware about it. We were not even officially dating as of yet. I wonder how people would react to that.

"Yup" I nodded my head

She giggled leaving me confused

"Sorry" she said looking at my expression "Can I tell you a secret?"

I nodded my head

"I had the biggest crush on Paul while growing up. I used to dream that I would come back from college, we would get together and live happily ever after" she said laughing

I looked at her shocked with my mouth open. Was she confessing to me that she liked Paul or something?

"Chill Bella I am not telling you that I still have unresolved feelings for him or anything. I am happy for you'll both. In fact I am currently seeing someone and am pretty happy in my own relationship"

"Oh that's good" I said nonchalantly though I was a bit relieved now

"Yup, his name is Daniel and we share the same classes" she said with a huge smile on her face

We talked for some more time before exchanging numbers and telling one another to stay in touch.

After lunch Embry came back to Forks with me. Charlie had messaged saying that he and Tiffany had some news for us and wanted us both to be present.

"Hey Bella, Embry" said Tiffany entering through the open door. Charlie was right behind her.

"Hey Kiddos, how was lunch?" asked Charlie

"Good dad"

They sat opposite us both on the empty chairs in the dining area. Both of them looked nervous.

"So you had something to tell us?" I prompted

"Yes" said Charlie hesitantly "Tiffany and I had some news to share"

"Charlie proposed to me and I said yes" said Tiffany looking directly at Embry who was staring at her with a blank face

"I am so happy for you'll both" I said hugging both Charlie and Tiffany who had a few tears in her eyes

Embry had not yet responded and was staring at Tiffany with a blank face

"Charlie, can I talk to you in private for a minute" said Embry after a few minutes of silence

Charlie nodded and the both of them left the room. Tiffany was trying to hide the fact that she was tensed about Embry's lack of reaction but was failing miserably.

"It will be okay Tiffany" I consoled her

She nodded her head "I understand why he reacted in such a way though" she took a deep breath "For as long as I can remember, Embry has been the man of the family. Even though my father and brothers were there Embry grew up early in life. In my young days I was reckless and jumped from one relationship to another and when it ended badly I would cry and isolate myself from him. Emb is scared. He worries about me more than he should and the fact that Charlie and I are getting married mere months after we started dating is probably scaring him. He thinks that I won't be able to bear it if something happens" she said with a small smile

Even though I was scared of hearing the answer I had to ask it "But you'll both are sure right that you'll want to get married?"

She smiled and nodded her head "Both of us have been through our share of failed relationships and I think it is a second chance for the both of us"

"That's good"

Charlie and Embry entered the room at that moment. Charlie looked red in the face though Embry had a calm expression on.

"All okay?" asked Tiffany

Charlie gave a slight laugh "I guess I just got the 'you hurt my mother talk'" he said making us all laugh even Embry who hugged Tiffany and said that he was happy for her.

After that we had coffee cake to celebrate and listened to Tiffany tell us the story of how Charlie proposed to her, how anxious he was and how he panicked when he couldn't find the ring forgetting that he had left it in his cruiser.

"So Bells" started Charlie hesitantly "Tiffany and I were thinking that you and I should move in with them in their house in La Push as it is bigger than this and has been renovated recently"

I nodded my head "Okay when do you want to move?"

"How about next weekend?"

"Okay" I said then remembered a trivial problem "What about my school dad?" Even though Forks was only twenty minutes from La Push travelling everyday early in the morning would not be convenient.

"Ya about that" said Charlie "I was talking to Billy the other day and he suggested that you complete your schooling from La Push High ahead"

"But dad I am not native. Won't they have a problem with that?"

He took a sip of his beer "Even I thought they would at first but then Billy informed me that as the chief of the tribe he has a few rights and can get you easily enrolled and the entire tribal council agrees with him that you should complete your education from there. I could have guessed about Harry but surprisingly Old Quil is also agreeing with this."

"Great another first day of school" I muttered sarcastically

Although a part of me hated this decision. I had just managed to settle in Forks high and now I would have to go through the same things again another part of me was thrilled. The prospect of me and Paul being in the same school left me excited and giddy.

"You start next Monday" said Charlie ignoring my sarcasm

I nodded my head

"So Charlie and Bella welcome to the family" said Tiffany with a huge grin

Embry got up from his seat and engulfed me in a bear hug "You will officially be my sister in a few months"

I hugged him back "Oh by the way when is the big day?" I asked Tiffany and Charlie

"May 15th we have only two months and a lot to prepare" said Tiffany mildly sighing

The next three days passed by in a blur. Either I was at school or was working. And in my free time was down at the reservation decorating my new room. Charlie and I were donating most of our old furniture as it was rusted and had not been changed in decades. Embry and Jake had been of great help with painting and shopping for essentials. Paul and I had started messaging one another and were constantly chatting or talking on the phone. I had still not told him that I was going to be joining La Push high as a student. I wanted to surprise him and see his reaction.

Today was Thursday and my last day in Forks high. Even though a lot of people had come over and had told me that they would miss me I knew that the only genuine person who would miss me and who I would miss was Angela Weber. She, Ben and Eric had given me a small farewell in the school cafeteria and had promised me that they would meet me almost every weekend. After all I was just going to be at a distance of twenty minutes. Lauren had not bothered to talk to me since that day in the parking lot and I was glad that I saw her real colors so early on.

After school I drove down to the tribal centre for work. I had been working here for almost a week now and it still felt like a dream. I was currently reading the old manuscripts of Levi Uley, Quil Ateara II and Ephraim Black, the original pack. I had planned to finish this and make notes before interviewing and updating the details of the new pack. The life of the original pack was fascinating and an avid reader like me often got lost in their stories. Martha Young Black, the wife of Ephraim Black had done a great job in recording all these details and I only hoped to do this good a work. Though I had heard about the treaty with the Cullens on several occasions this was the first time that I had got to read the actual treaty and it had been designed exceptionally well making no place for any loopholes.

After leaving my office, I decided to drop in at Emily and Sam's. I had not seen either of them since last Friday. Though Emily had assured me that I could just enter the house without knocking, I still felt like I was trespassing if I was not knocking on the door.

"Come in Bella" said Emily looking agitated and tired as if she had not had a good night's sleep in days

"All okay with you?" I asked her as I sat next to her on the couch

She nodded her head rather reluctantly "You tell me how your date went?"

"It was good. He took me on a picnic at third beach"

"Oh that is so romantic" she said with a dreamy look in her eyes

Before I could say anything else Sam entered the house looking as exhausted as Emily, carrying a badly hurt Jared whose arm was wrongly twisted and blood was gushing down from a leg wound. He was screaming in pain.

"Jared" Emily and I shouted at the same time and rushed towards them both

Sam lay him down on the sofa and Emily started cleaning his wounds. Sam had to break his bone which had wrongly set so that it would set correctly. After Jared was all cleaned up Sam made him lie down in the bedroom upstairs so that he would get some sleep and his injuries would heal faster.

Sam sat down on the couch opposite us and took his head in his hands

"They escaped again?" asked Emily in a small voice

Sam just nodded his head

"Who escaped again?" I asked

Sam took a minute to compose him before speaking "Three leeches, two male and one female have been feeding in Forks. We tried to kill them or atleast shoo them away but they tend to come back and taunt us. They are taking it as a game and we even cornered the red haired female today but she managed to escape. I don't know what to do now. Jared almost lost his life today"

Alarm Bells rang in my head with every word he said. 'Three vampires', 'taunting them', 'red haired female' 'escaping'.

"James, Victoria and Laurent" I said aloud before I could think of it.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you .7334, YankeeGirlNJ, dannyband, sarae32, brankel1, artofcrying, MammaNita4, Beuty6, debb lavoie and Missysue32 for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll are liking my story.

Guest: Thank you for reviewing. For the purpose of my story, I needed Edward to have a mate and I did not want to create an OC. Also if his mate was not a vegetarian vampire like him, it would have created a lot of clashes between him and his mate and he would never have fully accepted the mating. Tanya Denali was the only unmated vegetarian vampire that I knew of and so I paired them both.

Chapter 12-

"James, Victoria and Laurent" I said aloud before I could think of it.

Sam and Emily were both now staring at me in shock

"How do you know their names?" asked Sam straightening himself on the couch

"Umm I…" I stuttered nervously not knowing how to disclose this information

Sam sighed heavily "Another one of those things that you can't tell us about?"

I nodded my head

"Okay don't tell me how you know their names but give me any information you can about them, their strengths, weaknesses, whatever will help us destroy them" he said in his stern alpha voice

I thought for a few minutes about all the information I had on them from the baseball game to the battle with their newborns.

"The blonde haired male vampire is the head of this coven and the most dangerous. He is a tracker and hunter and takes pleasure from playing sadistic games with his 'prey'. He is mated to the red haired female whose power is escapism and is equally sadistic. The third vampire with the dreadlocks is their coven mate and is not as dangerous as those both. He can easily be convinced to leave his coven mates"

"Hold on" said Sam raising his eyebrows "Power? Do all leeches have special abilities?"

"No not all" I said "Only a few vampires develop special abilities when they are turned. James like I said is a tracker and Victoria is good at escaping. I am not sure if Laurent has any power or not"

"What about the Cullens" asked Sam "Do they have any powers?"

"Yes, Edward is a mind reader, Alice can see the future and her mate Jasper can control emotions. Carlisle who is the head of this coven or family as they say has no special powers but is extremely compassionate and so is his mate Esme. Rosalie's power is her beauty and Emmett's power is his strength that he never lost from his newborn days" I said

He took his head in his hands "Why isn't all this mentioned in the records?" he shouted and Emily started rubbing his arms to soothe him

"Newborn leeches? How are they different from the regular ones?" he said after a few minutes of silence

I took a deep breath "They are the strongest the first year after they are turned into a vampire as they have blood still coursing through their veins. You should never let them wrap their arms around you or they will easily crush you and don't go for the obvious kill, they expect that" I said remembering all that Jasper had said during the training sessions for the newborn battle.

"What about these three leeches? How old are they?"

"I don't know their exact age but if I had to guess I would say centuries old"

"Great" he muttered sarcastically "Three experienced leeches versus us both what am I supposed to do now?"

"Will it help if someone new phases?" whispered Emily

Sam shook his head "No time, no one is showing signs as of now and even if they did phase in the next two three days, I can't send a new untrained wolf to fight with an experienced Leech. They would easily crush him. Even Jared is just learning the ropes of fighting."

"Oh" said Emily in a small voice

"We can ask the Cullens for help" I said after a few minutes of thinking

"No" shouted Sam getting up from his seat "They are our enemies and they are leeches themselves, why will they help us instead of others like them?"

"Sam you need to think rationally. They are the only ones who can possibly help us in this situation. And if you allow I will go and talk to them and try to convince them to fight with us"

Sam just stayed quiet for a few minutes

'Sam please, I don't like this anymore than you do but these three have to be destroyed or they will create havoc over Forks and La Push" I said

Sam sighed and sat back on the couch "Fine but you will not go alone in Cullen territory. I can't let you be unprotected"

"I won't, Jared will accompany me and we will talk to Carlisle in the hospital and if he agrees we will tell him to meet you'll both at the border with the other members of his family"

"Wait hospital?" asked Emily clearly shocked

"He is a doctor" I shrugged

Emily just kept looking at me with her mouth open "But he is a vampire"

"He has not tasted human blood in more than three centuries since the time he was turned"

Even though I had no feelings left for Edward and did not hold the highest regard for his family for returning back to Forks, I still respected Carlisle and Esme for who they were. In a world of darkness they had chosen to be light. They could have been like the Volturi or like James and Victoria but they chose not to be like them and advocated others to do so to.

"Fine but the meeting will be after Jared has fully recovered. In case he needs to defend you, he should be able to."

I nodded my head

"Another thing Sam, James and Victoria are mated. If you destroy one you need to destroy the other or the one remaining will come back for revenge. Laurent on the other hand can be convinced to surrender and may not need to be killed."

He just nodded his head and after a quick dinner though none of us could actually eat, I left to go back to Forks.

The next day was dull and gloomy. Even though I tried not to think of all this my mind kept going back to the current situation. Every minute someone was at a risk of losing their life because of James, Victoria and Laurent. Emily was keeping me updated on Jared's recovery and thanks to his fast healing he was almost completely healed. As I did not have to go to school today I kept myself busy with packing. Tomorrow Charlie and I were officially moving to La Push to live with Tiffany and Embry. The process of packing the house and dumping everything unwanted in boxes was bittersweet. Even though in the eyes of everyone else I had hardly stayed in this house, in my mind I had stayed here for close to the past two years and had several memories associated with this house and my room. Some wanted some unwanted. I was excited to move ahead though. It was a new beginning for me and I was ready to grab the opportunity. This was also the first time I would get to decorate my room my way from scratch. With Renee, she wanted every part of the house decorated according to her tastes and did not like anyone interfering in her space and with Charlie, changes were not that appreciated. He liked things as they were.

For once even cooking didn't calm me as I added salt instead of sugar in the dessert and my hands were shaking as I stirred the soup. Even if Charlie noticed the sombre mood in the house luckily he chose not to question me about it.

I kept turning on my mood till the wee hours in the morning but could not get a wink of sleep. The memories of the last time kept flooding my mind and unknowingly I kept rubbing the spot on my hand where I had been bitten by James. On exactly this day in the past, I had woken up in the hospital with several serious injuries and a vengeful vampire out for revenge. No this time things would be different. As I had mentioned to Sam, if you kill one you kill the other.

The next morning after the final box was loaded in my truck and we had finished breakfast we drove to the reservation in separate vehicles. Charlie was driving his cruiser and I was in my truck. As of now we were not selling or renting out this house. This was Charlie's parent's house and he had too many memories attached to it.

As I crossed the border and entered La Push I felt like the air around me had changed and was welcoming me in my new home. Even when I was with Edward I always felt welcomed in La Push, now I realized it was most probably due to the imprint. I was always meant to be here.

Tiffany and Embry were waiting by the porch when we entered the driveway, my truck following Charlie's cruiser. Tiffany gave us both big hugs before pulling me in the house and telling Embry to help Charlie in unloading the luggage.

I spent the rest of the day setting my new room and helping Tiffany with dinner while checking my phone for any update from Emily which was none. I knew that Sam and Emily were already tensed and I did not need to bombard them with my own tension.

That night when we sat together for dinner and shared stories with one another I felt like this was where I belonged, with my family.

The next morning was Sunday and I woke up with an unexpected text from Sam saying 'It is time'. Jared had fully recovered and the both of us were going to go to Forks hospital to talk to Carlisle. I quickly showered and after a light breakfast left to go to Sam's place where Jared would be waiting for me. We were going to be going in my truck to Forks.

Sam and Emily bid us goodbye and Sam told Jared to keep his number on speed dial in case he needed to call him. Neither Jared nor I spoke the entire way listening to the radio and busy in our own thoughts. We had taken a prior appointment with Carlisle so that we would easily be able to meet him. We entered the hospital and after taking directions from the receptionist walked towards his cabin. Jared had wrinkled his face in disgust probably from the vampire smell in the hallways.

"Please come in" said a kind voice when we knocked on the door to his cabin. Both of us entered the room. Jared walked in first and I followed letting him stand in front of me in a protective stance. Even though I knew that it was not needed, this was Sam's condition for letting me come here.

"Hello Dr Cullen, I am Bella Swan and this is Jared Cameron from the La Push reservation"

"Oh I see" said Carlisle probably connecting the dots of Jared being a shape shifter "Please take a seat. How can I help you?"

"Listen Leech" started Jared before I stopped him

"Jared please let me talk"

"Dr Cullen as you have probably guessed it by now, Jared is one of the protectors of the tribe and we are here on business"

He put his hands on the table and took an unnecessary breath "What kind of business?"

"Three nomads James, Victoria and Laurent have made Forks their feeding ground and are creating havoc around here. We want your family's help in ending them."

"I see. What kind of help?"

"We need numbers to fight them. Even if you and your family don't help us, my brothers are going to go out there and end them because an innocent person's life is at risk here. And about the help, we need Alice's vision to tell us when they will attack next and where so that we are prepared. Also these vampires are experienced so if Jasper and Emmett help we will be grateful."

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know so much about my family?"

"I have foreknowledge of certain things and it is important to destroy these vampires or rather two of them. The third vampire of their coven is Irina Denali's mate and if we give him an option he will surrender and accept your lifestyle"

"How do you know that they are mates?"

"Like I said I am aware of certain things"

"But killing them?" Carlisle said hesitantly "I can talk to them to change their lifestyle or feed somewhere else instead of Forks"

"I know you are a pacifist Carlisle and see the good in everyone but these guys have no redeeming quality, they are sadistic and take pleasure in another person's pain. This is like a game to them. If we don't stop them there will be severe consequences. My brothers have already tried to make them leave but they keep coming back."

"So leech what have you decided?" asked Jared with a scowl on his face

Carlisle stayed quiet for a few minutes

"I will have to discuss this with my family before taking a decision"

"This is the Alpha of the current pack's number. If you decide to help us, he and Jared who is the Beta of the pack will meet you at the border to plan the strategy." I said writing down Sam's phone number on a piece of paper. There was also another reason why I spoke of Sam and Jared in this way. I did not want the Cullens to know how many people were there in the current pack before it was time.

"Also one of male vampires is a powerful tracker and his mate has the power of escapism. So remember if one is killed the other has to be killed"

He nodded his head "If they are mates the other will come back for revenge. If you can tell me who the current alpha is?"

"Sam Uley" answered Jared

"Uley? If I remember when the treaty was formed the Alpha was Ephraim Black and the Beta was Levi Uley"

"We should get going now" I said getting up from my seat and so did Jared "But we will be waiting for your answer"

"If you don't mind me asking Ms Swan, what is your relation to the pack? You are not Quileute"

"She is our sister" said Jared gritting his teeth

After that before anything else could be said Jared and I left his cabin and the hospital. Not a word was shared between us both as I drove the truck back towards the reservation. Jared had to patrol and I went to Sam's house to tell Sam and Emily about what transpired at our meeting. He said we would wait to see what their reply was but in case they refused he and Jared would be left with no choice but to fight the nomads on their own.

Dinner was a quiet affair and no one said anything about my lack of appetite. Tomorrow was my first day at LPH and I was nervous as well as excited. Embry told me a little about LPH and the respective teachers for my chosen electives.

Just as I was about to sleep my phone rang with a message. It was Sam's. With shaking hands I opened the message 'Cullens said yes. We attack on Tuesday. Meeting tonight to discuss strategy'


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you MammaNita4, sarae32, dannyband, Beuty6, debb lavoie, .7334, the newest daughter for your reviews. It makes me very happy to know that you'll like my story.

YankeeGirlNJ: Thank you for your review. No, Alice would not have been able to see the meeting as Jared had accompanied Bella and she can't see the wolves. Even her vision of the fight would not be clear as the wolves were involved. Bella and Edward will not be mated and Alice will not see any vision saying so as Bella has decided to stay away from Edward and Alice's visions are based on decisions.

Chapter 13-

It is official. I hate high school. Today is my first day in La Push High and I am already regretting waking up this morning and it has just been twenty minutes since I entered the premises. And here I thought my first day in Forks high was bad. How naive was I.

Today had started off as usual apart from me being a little nervous. Embry had offered to give me a ride to LPH and a tour of the school. Even though LPH was just one building from the outside it was built like a maze from the inside to accommodate the multiple grades that studied here.

So at exactly 7:30 am this morning I had been ready after eating my breakfast. Embry, Quil and Jake had carpooled to school since as long as they could remember. Embry who lived the farthest from school would first pick up Jake and then Quil who lived the nearest to school. So after bidding Charlie and hugging Tiffany Bye, Embry and I had left for Jake's house in his Chevy truck. After picking up Jake and Quil, who had been fifteen minutes late, we made our way to the school parking lot.

LPH was a lot like Forks high and yet at the same time different. You could easily differentiate between the cool kids who played rock music in their car on an extremely loud volume and smoked sitting in groups and the nerds who were sitting on the benches in the corner studying or completing assignments. Though Forks high had a diverse student population, most of the students in LPH were native. Though there were a few exceptions like me too who had been given permission by Billy to attend tribal school.

Embry had given me a brief tour of the exteriors of the school before showing me the lockers. Then a sudden realization that he had forgotten to complete an assignment that was due today in the first period had sent him in panic mode and he had hurried to the classroom followed by Jake and Quil who had also not completed the said assignment.

So here I was at 8:20 am on a Monday morning standing by my locker trying to make sense of the schedule and map in my hand. My first class for the day, English was starting in three minutes and I had still not figured out which way to walk. And it was not like I could ask anyone for help because all the people I had seen in the corridors till now were either staring at me like I belonged to a different planet or were talking about me in hushed whispers.

I sighed loudly and went back to reading the complicated map in front of me. A loud bang of the locker next to mine brought me back to reality.

I looked up to see Paul standing by the locker taking a few books out and dumping the rest in again.

"Hey Paul"

"Swan?" he looked at me stunned "What are you doing here?"

"Well I am the new student of LPH"

He looked at me in confusion "What? How? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Charlie moved in with Tiffany Call over the weekend so here I am and I did not tell you because I wanted to surprise you" I said blushing

"It is a great surprise" he said lowering his voice making me blush even more

The bell rang at that very moment and the corridors started clearing out

"So which is your first class?" he asked

"English with Mr. Dixon and I can't find the room"

"Yeah it takes some getting used to. Show me your map"

I handed him my map and he looked over it for a minute "Come I will drop you to your class"

"What about your class? Won't you be late for it?"

"Nah the teachers are used to me coming in late" he said with a slight smirk making me giggle

"So are you in any of my classes?" I asked him as we walked through the now empty corridors

"Show me your schedule" he said and took the schedule from my hands "Hmm I have two classes with you after lunch"

I nodded my head

"Here you go" he said pointing out towards a classroom "I will see you at lunch?"

I nodded my head again and entered the classroom

"You are late" said the middle aged man sitting at the teacher's desk without even looking at me, stopping me in the tracks.

"Sorry" I mumbled "I had trouble finding the classroom"

He looked up for the first time from the book he was reading "Who are you?"

"Bella Swan. Today's my first day"

He nodded his head "Come in but take this as your first warning. Next time you are late to my class you get detention. Is that clear?"

I gulped and nodded my head

"Go and sit on the empty seat next to Ms Connweller"

I ignored the fact that everyone was snickering around me and rushed to the only empty seat

"Hey you okay?" whispered Kim

I nodded my head

"We have met before right?" she asked doubtfully

"Yes, at Harry and Sue's anniversary party"

"Oh yes, now I remember" "So how come you are here?"

"My dad Charlie moved in with Tiffany Call so I am completing my schooling from LPH ahead"

"Oh" she whispered "That's good"

"Ms Swan Ms Connweller, if you have anything to share, share with the entire class or go back to your reading material" said Mr. Dixon with a scowl on his face

We both mumbled 'sorry' simultaneously and went back to the book in front of us. The syllabus was pretty similar to Forks high and although I had missed a major part of the year I was confident that I could manage.

The bell soon rang signaling the end of this class

"Which class do you have next?" asked Kim as we walked out of the classroom "Can I see your schedule?"

"Sure" I handed her the schedule

"Hey you are in all my classes" said Kim excitedly

"Great" I said happily

I was indeed happy to have Kim with me in all my classes. Atleast I would have one familiar face to talk to apart from Paul and Jared.

The next class was History and I was surprised to see Jared in this class. He looked exhausted and had dark circles underneath his eyes. The seat next to Kim was occupied so I sat next to Jared who was almost on the verge of passing out.

"How was the meeting last night?" I whispered so low that only a person with supernatural abilities could hear

"Good. The scarred leech taught us fighting techniques. The leeches are going to be attacking a fisherman tomorrow afternoon by the docks and that is where we attack. We are meeting again tonight to practice"

I nodded my head

"Listen I am sleeping. Wake me up if the teacher comes near my table" said Jared and before I could answer he was fast asleep.

The next two classes went by in a blur. Luckily none of the teachers asked me to stand in front of the class and introduce myself. Neither Paul nor Jared was in these classes and I sat next to Kim who helped me out with the missed out work and assignments.

When the bell for lunch rang, Kim and I walked towards the cafeteria. Kim was quite shy and apart from me and one or two more people did not talk to anyone. She told me that she generally ate lunch outside as she did not like it when people stared at her but agreed to eat lunch with me when I asked her to sit with me. Everyone from freshman and above had the same lunch period and I waved at Embry, Jake and Quil who were sitting with their friends, as I entered the cafeteria.

Kim and I sat on an empty table with our trays and started talking about random topics

"Hey ladies, can we join you?" asked a familiar voice

I looked up to see Jared and Paul standing by our table with their trays. Paul was looking directly at me and Jared at Kim

"You… you want to sit with me? I mean us" said Kim nervously stuttering looking at Jared

"There is no place I'd rather be than here" said Jared sitting next to Kim making her blush

Paul sat next to me and rolled his eyes "Lover boy here has a new crush" he whispered making me giggle

For the next half an hour Jared tried relaxing a nervous Kim while Paul and I settled into an easy conversation. By now the entire cafeteria was staring at our table but I just ignored it.

"So how do you'll both know one another?" asked Paul pointing towards me and Jared

"Mutual friend" I said before Jared could answer

"Which mutual friend I know all of Jared's friends?"

"Sam Uley" said Jared

"Oh yeah, you are friends with his girlfriend Emily right?" he said looking at me

I nodded my head

"By the way why have you started hanging out with Sam? He is two years older than us and is weird. I have seen him roam around the reservation half naked like he owns it and you have had quite a growth spurt there. Are you'll exercising together or something? "

"Sam is nice guy, Paul. You will understand one day. And no we are not exercising together. I have started working with him"

"What work?" asked Paul

"Umm Security work we patrol the reservation at night"

Paul nodded his head but did not look convinced

After that Kim and I headed towards our next class and Paul and Jared said that they would follow us in a few minutes as they were still eating and the bell had rung.

"So since when do you like him?" I asked her when we were out of hearing range

"Who?" she stuttered looking at the floor

I gave her a 'you know who' look

She sighed "Since seventh grade"

"Why don't you ask him out then?"

She looked at me like I had gone insane "Have you seen him? He is way out of my league. Boys like him don't go out with girls like me. I will become a laughing stock for the entire school if I ask him out. And I prefer living in the shadows instead"

"He likes you too" I spoke out before I could stop myself

She stopped in her tracks "What did you say?"

"I said that he likes you too"

"No can't be" she whispered "How do you know?"

"Just a feeling" I said nonchalantly

We silently walked to our next class. Jared fell off to sleep as soon as he sat at his desk while Kim diligently took notes. Paul started talking to one of his friends and I copied notes for me as well as him.

Soon my first day of school was over. I said bye to Jared and Kim, who was still silently observing Jared and walked towards Embry's truck with Paul by my side

"So I will see you tomorrow?" I asked Paul

"Yup"

He hugged me before walking towards his bike.

"Hey Sis" said Embry as he reached his truck and saw me standing there

"Hey"

We sat in his truck and he started driving towards home.

"Jake and Quil have detention" he said before I could ask

"Why"

"They were throwing paper planes at one another in class" he said rolling his eyes making me laugh

"So how was your first day?"

"Good. Better than I expected it to go"

"You know you created quite a stir in the cafeteria today"

"Me? Why"

"Believe it or not Paul and Jared are popular in school and they sat with the 'New girl' during lunch. You are going to have quite a few haters"

I shrugged. There was nothing I could do if these girls were jealous of my friendship with Paul and Jared.

"Hey honey, how was your day?" asked Tiffany as I entered the house

"Good"

I helped Tiffany in preparing dinner before retiring to my room to complete my homework. It was my first day and I already had a bucket load of homework.

Post dinner I was lying on my bed when my phone rang

"Hey Em"

"Hey Bella, I wanted a favor from you" said Emily hesitantly

"Yes tell me"

"I know your school just started today but can you skip tomorrow?"

"Why? Everything okay"

"Please I don't want to be alone when Sam and Jared go to fight" she said softly though I could hear the tears in her voice

"Shit" I whispered "Sorry I forgot. Of course I will be there"

"Thanks I will see you at 11 tomorrow"

I ended the call and messaged Paul and Kim telling them that I would not be coming tomorrow. I would have to make up some excuse for Charlie, Tiffany and Embry tomorrow morning. I sighed and fell on my bed for another sleepless night.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you Twisted Musalih, .7334, YankeeGirlNJ, MammaNita4, sarae32, Beuty6, debb lavoie for your reviews. It makes me very happy to know that you'll like my story.

Chapter 14-

Lying to my family was easier said than done. Add into it the fact that I am a terrible liar. Charlie was not that hard to convince but Tiffany kept looking at me suspiciously when I told her that I had a stomach ache and wanted to stay home, as if she knew that I was lying.

I pretended to sleep until I heard the front door shut signaling that Tiffany had left for her souvenir shop in Forks. Charlie and Embry had already left for the day. I quickly got out of bed and after checking that I only had half an hour more before I had to reach Sam's place, showered and had breakfast. I decided to leave my truck behind in order to avoid suspicion in case Charlie or Tiffany was to come home early. I walked the short distance to Sam's house instead.

According to Alice's vision the nomads were going to reach the docks sometime in the afternoon today and so the wolves and the vampires were going to reach there before time and wait for them to come. After Emily and I hugged Sam and Jared and wished them good luck, began the longest five hours of my life.

We started with cooking to divert our mind from the tensed atmosphere around us. After we had cooked for an army and baked everything we could think of, we decided to watch a movie but that was of no use too as our concentration was on the fight which would have by now started. We then decided to play cards for a while but by the time we ended a game, there was still no news of Sam or Jared.

Before they left Sam had made us sit us down and told us what howl meant what. So that we were aware in case there was any danger around us. One howl meant that everything was good. Two howls meant that they were nearby and were approaching. Three howls meant Danger and four howls meant that someone new had phased for the first time.

And till now there had been no howl. The only indication we had that the fight would have started by now was the time. It was almost 3:00. So unless the nomads changed their path at the last minute, everything should have gone according to the plan. Unless…

"You think they will be okay?" asked Emily sipping through a cup of tea and looking at the floor

"I know that they will be okay. We need to trust them Em. They are well prepared for this"

"If something happens to Sam…" said Emily with a few tears in her eyes

"Hey now, we need to stay strong for them. Sam would not want to see you like this when he comes back"

"You're right" she said after a few minutes wiping her eyes "Can we go for a walk? It will help in relaxing me"

"I don't Know Em. Sam had told us not to leave the house"

"Please we will just walk in the backyard"

I nodded my head and after wearing my coat, the both of us shut the front door behind us and walked out. It was exceptionally cold today for the month of March. Luckily it was not raining. Emily and I both walked in silence for a while concentrating on our own thoughts. We were just a few steps away from the house. Sam had given us strict instructions before leaving. Don't leave the house come what may till one of them is back.

Suddenly cold wind encompassed us in a circle and brought the last person I ever wanted to see again in front of me.

Fiery red hair with crimson eyes that looked at us with such ferocity and gave out a dangerous vibe

"Victoria" I whispered but of course she heard it

She clocked her head to one side and kept staring at us in silence for a few seconds as if a lion observing their prey before attacking. I could hear Emily's heart beating louder and faster than normal. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her standing next to me shocked, slightly shaking, clutching tightly to her shirt.

"Emily, go inside and lock the door. Don't come out till either Sam or Jared is back" I said sternly. Even if this was my last action performed I had to try and save Emily. Not like that would stop a vampire but still maybe I could distract Victoria till help arrived.

"But" she said softly in a scared manner

"Emily now" I shouted

Victoria was still observing our antics with curiosity. I stood in front of Emily giving her the space to escape. She started running back to the house looking back at me a few times. I pleaded with my eyes to her to just keep going.

Finally when Emily was in the house and I could hear the audible click of the door locking, I turned back to look at Victoria

Suddenly I heard a shriek filled childish laughter "How foolish are you human? You think a locked door will stop me. Do you know what I am?"

"Leave her alone Victoria" I muttered through gritted teeth

"How do you know my name human?"

"How does it matter? Why are you here?"

I don't know from where I was getting this sudden bravery but I was glad for it.

She laughed again "I could smell the scent of those mongrels around this house. Because of them my James is no longer with me and you will pay for their sins"

I was having a serious déjà vu. The first time also James was killed before Victoria and she had come to take her revenge from me and this time too. Last time it was the Cullens and this time the Pack who had ended James. The only difference was last time Edward and Seth were with me and this time I was alone in front of a bloodthirsty vengeful vampire.

"Ah you smell delightful and make me hungry" she said closing her eyes and licking her lips making me shudder back a few steps

"Come now child don't be scared. I will not torture you much" she said in an evil menacing voice

I closed my eyes waiting for my doom. There was nothing I could do to stop her. I was just a human. What had happen in their fight? James was dead as Victoria had said. Where were the others?

It felt like hours but in reality it had just been a few minutes since Victoria had jumped out of nowhere in front of us.

When I did not feel cold lips biting onto my neck for a few seconds, I opened my eyes to see the second shocker of the day. The last person I ever thought I would see coming to my rescue was standing in front of me like a shield.

'Rosalie Hale'

"Move out of my way Cullen. This is not your fight" said Victoria

"Make me" snarled Rosalie "And till I remember my family was as much involved in ending the life of your precious mate"

Victoria bared her teeth "After I drink her tantalizing blood" she said pointing towards me "I will get back at you for that comment"

Rosalie gave out a short laugh "You will not touch the human till I am guarding it and I am not scared of your threats. Go scare someone else"

Victoria made an irritated sound and crouched down in attacking position. Even Rosalie took an attacking stance.

Somehow the only thing going on in my mind on repeat at that moment was my only proper conversation with Rosalie right before my wedding with Edward. When she had told me about her past, she had managed to kill her tormenters without drinking their blood and was the only one apart from Carlisle who had never tasted human blood. The story of Taha Aki and the third wife filled my mind and I knew what I had to do next. Rosalie was the only vampire apart from Carlisle who would have been able to resist my blood in this situation.

Before the other two who were still in crouching position, could attack one another, I picked up a small rock from the ground and cut myself a little on my hand.

As the scent of my blood filled the air and red droplets fell on the ground where I was standing, both Vampires turned to look at me. I could see Victoria's eye color change to pitch black and the hunger and desire in her eyes. Rosalie was just staring at me. He eye color was still golden and she did not look that affected by the smell.

Before I could even blink Victoria had pounced on me making me lose my balance and fall on the ground. Her teeth were near my neck when she was pulled away from my body and was dismembered too fast for the human eye.

I looked up to see Rosalie standing near a purple fire signifying that Victoria was done with

"Bella you okay" said Sam coming near to where I was sitting on the ground. I could see Jared, Sam, Carlisle and Emmett around me

I nodded my head. I did not know whether I could talk right now or not

"Bella" said Jared looking at me with a question in his eyes

I nodded my head telling him that I was okay

"Can I see your injury?" asked Carlisle

I let him see my injury. It was not too deep but I would need stitches.

"Emmett bring my kit from the car"

"But Carlisle" said Emmett who was standing in front of Rosalie as if he was protecting her

"Emmett I am here. Go now"

Without saying another word Emmett disappeared at Vampire speed

"Emily?" asked Sam worriedly

I pointed to the door and he ran to see her

"You crossed the treaty line Leech" said Jared pointing at Rosalie

"Yeah and if I had not this human, whoever she is to you would be a corpse by now"

Jared growled at her and she snarled back

"Enough Jared" said Sam using his Alpha voice

"Bella" shouted Emily coming to hug me "You scared me so much"

"I am okay Emily" I assured her and myself too

Emmett had returned by now with Carlisle's kit and he resumed his position of standing in front of Rosalie. Carlisle started stitching my wound and Emily held my hand to comfort me.

"We thank you and your family for your help today Carlisle" said Sam once Carlisle was done with stitching

"No problem. We will take your leave now" said Carlisle nodding his head and signaling Emmett and Rose to walk.

"Let's go inside" said Sam once they were out of sight

Jared and Sam helped me in getting up. Victoria had pushed me badly when she pounced on me. Luckily I had not broken anything.

Once I was seated on the couch and handed a cup of steaming hot coffee courtesy Emily, the others also sat on the couch

"So what happen in the fight?" asked Emily "How did Victoria escape?"

Sam sighed "We reached the docks at 11 and waited for them to arrive, hiding where people around could not see us. We both and three of the Cullens Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie were going to attack. The other four were going to get Laurent away from these both and make him surrender. Then mind reader and Seer were going to take Laurent directly to Denali to his mate. According to the Seer taking him there as soon as possible was of utmost importance. And we were okay with it because we were five versus two."

"Then what happen?" asked Emily biting her nails

"They arrived a few hours later. The doctor's wife had managed to clear the humans in the area by then. As they saw us, three Vampires and two Wolves waiting for them a fight broke out. Carlisle had managed to get Laurent away from the others. Jared, Jasper and I were attacking James and Emmett and Rosalie were fighting Victoria. She bit Emmett before attacking Rosalie and escaping. After we killed James we realized that Victoria and Rosalie were not there and we followed their scent back here"

"Wait" I said "When Victoria escaped James was alive?"

Sam nodded his head

"But she told me that you'll have killed him?"

"She probably felt the mating pull" said Jared after a few minutes

"What mating pull?" I asked

"See if Kim gets hurt I can feel her pain like it is mine even if it is something as normal as a paper cut. I don't know about leeches but I guess they would have something similar too"

"Maybe" I said

"So finally the threat is over" said Emily with a huge smile on a her face "We have made a lot for you'll to eat if you'll are hungry by the way"

Emily disappeared to her kitchen and Sam and Jared got up from the seats with the prospect of getting food.

"Bella you coming?" asked Jared

"I just need some time alone. I am going for a walk" I said getting up from the couch

"You know you can talk to me about anything right?" asked Sam

I nodded my head "Just need some time"

"Okay, take your time and call or come here if you need to talk"

I nodded my head and left the house. I walked towards first beach. For the first time in hours I took out my phone from my pocket. I knew whose company I needed right now.

'Hey you free? Can you meet me at first beach?'

I sat on a piece of driftwood looking at the waves in the water

'On my way'

To be honest I was terrified. Yes I had been in a similar situation before but this time I was not expecting any of this. I had given up hope before Rosalie came to my rescue.

Strong slightly warm arms pulled me closer to them as their owner sat next to me on the piece of driftwood

"You okay?"

I nodded my head "Tired"

"Why didn't you come to school today?"

I lied down my head on his shoulder

"I was at Emily's. She needed my help with something"

"Even Jared was absent today"

I nodded my head

"You know I missed you"

"I missed you too" I said playing with his big hands

As of now I did not know where I stood with Paul. We were more than friends but less than anything more.

"So are you free on Friday after school?" he asked me

I nodded my head looking at him in question

"Do you want to go out with me again?"

I smiled and nodded my head again

"Cool"

"Wait" I said remembering something

"What?"

"You remember when we were talking about favorite movies and I told you that we were going to see Titanic on our second date?" I said with a slight smirk

"Oh come on now. You can't be serious" he said making me laugh

"But I am" "Friday after school you and I are coming back to my place for a movie date. I will convince Charlie, Tiff and Embry to go out for a few hours"

"Just movie?" he asked with his trademark smirk making me blush

"Just movie" I said though I was not sure how much I believed it


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thank you sarae32, YankeeGirlNJ, MammaNita4, .7334, Matthias L. Stormcrow, Taylor9901, Beuty6, debb lavoie, the newest daughter, Kmpcarter, brankel1 for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll like my story.

A/N: The question why Bella was so concerned about the mating pull will be answered in the coming chapters. All who were supposed to phase will still phase (with the exception of Leah) but their phases will be under different circumstances. And a new wolf phases in this chapter. Keep reading. Thank You.

Chapter 15-

After spending some more time at the beach Paul dropped me home. Luckily for me, my plan had worked and neither Tiffany nor Charlie was home. Embry was there but it was easy to convince him to keep his mouth shut and he only scowled once when he saw that Paul was the one to drop me.

It felt good to finally be rid of the threat named James and Victoria. Now there would be no newborn battle and no threat looming over Forks and La Push.

By the next morning everything was back to normal and I went back to school as usual with Embry, Jake and Quil. I saw Jared talking to Kim in the corridors and decided to not interrupt and give them some well needed alone time. Sam had told me once before that after every threat the wolf felt the need to reconnect with his imprint to reassure himself that everything was okay. And because Kim was not yet in the knowing or Jared's girlfriend this was the only way his wolf could reconnect.

Classes went by as usual and no one much spoke to me but the glares were lesser. Kim and I were quickly becoming good friends and spent the free period talking to one another. Even the teachers were quickly adapting to my presence in class. Though I had not seen Paul since morning as our first period together was post lunch.

When the bell for lunch rang Kim and I started walking towards the cafeteria. Two girls whose faces I did not recognize pushed past us talking loudly rushing towards the cafeteria.

"I thought he was getting better at controlling his anger. This is the first fight he has gotten into in weeks" said Girl 1

"How does it matter? It is entertaining as hell and he looks so hot when he fights" said Girl 2 getting a dreamy look on her face

"Did you hear the latest news?" asked Girl 1 to another girl standing in the corridors. When she said no the first girl continued "Paul Lahote is beating the shit out of Dave Lawrence in the cafeteria."

I stopped in the tracks. The three girls soon disappeared and I could see everyone around us running towards the cafeteria no wonder to get free entertainment. I finally got back to reality after Kim nudged me and the both of us also took to running to the cafeteria. Paul had been working so hard to control his anger. This was not good.

The sight in front of me shocked me as I walked into the cafeteria. It seemed like the entire school was here. There was a huge crowd surrounding a few tables and some were even cheering for Paul. I rushed past the people to get in the front. I could not move seeing what was in front of me. I had never seen Paul this feral. He was punching and kicking the other boy who could hardly keep his eyes open. The boy was bleeding profusely and if Paul was not stopped fast, would die. Paul was shaking slightly and his eyes held a few glimpses of the yellow of the wolf. Two boys tried to get Paul off Dave but Paul easily pushed them back with his newly acquired strength and continued punching Dave.

"Paul Lahote stop or I will be forced to expel you" said a new voice entering the cafeteria. I recognized the man as our principal. By now even the teachers had arrived and were watching the fight in shock.

Paul paid no attention to anyone's voice and was unstoppable. It was like he could not hear or see anything else. I knew that his strength and anger was the first sign that his wolf gene had been activated and he would soon phase. No human would be able to pull him away right now and he would have to be stopped before he phased right here right now.

"Jared" I whispered realizing that Jared was stronger than Paul who was not yet a full shape shifter.

"Jared" I shouted loudly and a few people turned to stare at me

"Sorry Bella. I was in class. I came as soon as I heard" he said running to where I was standing

I pointed towards Paul and his eyes widened

"Fuck! Sam's going to blow a gasket" he said before running towards Paul and Dave

He managed to pull Paul away from the badly injured Dave and was holding him tightly. Paul was still trying to get out of Jared's grip but it was useless as he was not that strong in comparison. His body was shaking with tremors as if he was having a seizure.

Before anyone could say anything else Jared took Paul out of the school towards the woods surrounding it.

"Everyone back to class" said the principal before removing his phone to call for an ambulance and going to check on Dave

Everyone dispersed but I just stood there till Kim held my hand and pulled me towards class. I knew that she probably did not understand my reaction but was a good person and wanted to help me.

The next few classes felt like a life time and I could not concentrate at all. Jared or Paul was not yet back. After the final bell rang I rushed towards the truck and waited for the others to arrive. They were undoubtedly talking about the fight and Embry kept glancing at me every few minutes but I refused to meet his gaze. I told them to drop me at Sam's. If I was going to get any answers it was from here.

I rushed in without bothering to knock. Jared was sitting on the dining table eating a muffin. Emily was in the kitchen and Sam was on the couch talking to the school principal with his head in his hands.

"Did he?" I asked Jared to know whether Paul had phased or not

He shook his head "He is close. I would say end of this week. Apart from the anger and strength he is not showing any other signs much"

I sat on the chair opposite him "Where is he now?"

"Home, Sam is talking to our school principal Mr. Travis and telling him everything. He will be suspended but not expelled."

"Thank god" I said relieved

"Why did he fight but?" asked Emily

Jared looked at me before speaking "Dave was insulting Bella. Called her a pale faced whore and passed a few racist comments"

"Shit" I said "Is Paul mad? He should have ignored it. He almost killed a person today"

Even If I did not want to admit it there were many others like Dave who just saw me as a pale face living amongst them. I could not fight them all so I chose to ignore.

"His wolf side came out" said Jared shrugging as if that was explanation enough

"Did you'll tell him that he was going to phase?" I asked after a few minutes

Jared shook his head again "He was in no mood to listen to us. I just dropped him home before coming here"

"We will be telling him soon. I don't want what happen with Jared to be repeated" said Sam "I spoke to Mr. Travis, Dave Lawrence has been hospitalized and is stable. Luckily his parents are not taking legal action though Paul has been suspended for two weeks. He said if Paul's behavior does not improve after he returns he will be forced to expel him" he continued sighing

"He is going to make a very aggressive wolf" said Jared with a slight laugh

"Bella can I ask you something?" asked Sam

I nodded my head

"How serious are you and Paul? I have heard rumors about you both"

"I like him a lot" I said looking him into the eyes

"You as well as I know that he is going to phase. What if you are not his imprint? I don't want you to end up with your heart broken" he said sighing

"That won't happen, Sam"

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I am his imprint" I shouted before I could stop myself

"What? How do you know this?" asked Jared

All three of them were now looking at me with curiosity in their eyes

"Okay" I said taking a deep breath "There is a reason why I know all these things that I know of. I am Paul's imprint and he will be imprinting on me after he phases"

"But how can you know this in advance?" asked Emily

"See I cannot tell you'll the entire story right now but one fine day I will"

Sam nodded his head "Fine I trust you"

Jared and Emily gave me identical huge grins

"Now that you say it, it makes sense. His wolf side came out to protect his imprint. I would too kill anyone who insulted my Kim" said Jared with a thoughtful look on his face

"He will have to learn to control himself in public though" said Sam "Bella you need to stay away from him for a few days. He can phase anytime and new wolves are volatile and Jared when are you going to tell Kim?"

"I am taking her on a date this Friday. Will tell her after that" said Jared and Sam nodded his head

"Can I meet him right now? I will stay away till he phases after this" I said

"Fine""But just be careful. If he starts to shake get away"

I thanked him and said bye to the others before leaving for Paul's house. I walked the short distance to his house and knocked on the door waiting for him to open. He opened the door after the third knock.

"Swan what are you doing here?"

I looked at him to check for injuries which apart from a few scratches he did not have any.

"Like what you see?" he asked with a smirk making me blush

"Come in"

I followed him inside

"Sit, Tea, Coffee, Juice?"

"Coffee"

He quickly went to the kitchen and made two cups of coffee and handed me one before sitting opposite me on the couch.

"So how are you?" I asked him

"Perfectly fine" he shrugged

"Jared told me that you fought because Dave insulted me"

"That motherfucker Dave" he almost growled slightly shaking

I rubbed his arms trying to soothe him "Hey its ok. I am alright"

"I don't like it when someone insults you"

"Calm down. I am right here" I said assuring him

He picked me and made me sit on his shaking lap lessening the tremors

"I think I am coming down with something. I have a slight temperature and my body aches"

I touched his forehead. It was hot but I knew that it would become hotter in the coming days.

"Yeah maybe fever, we will have to postpone our date for later"

"I know" he said hiding his face in my hair "I wanted to ask you something but I was going to wait till after our date"

I turned to look at him and nodded my head waiting for him to continue

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he said with a slight smile

I whispered a yes before jumping into his open arms to give him a hug

We stayed like that for some more time talking to one another before I said bye to my 'boyfriend' and left to go home. It felt so good to finally call him my boyfriend.

The next day after school I decided to drive to First Beach. Embry had been unwell and so had been absent from school and I had dropped Jake and Quil home before coming here. I saw a lone figure sitting near the cliffs and recognizing him walked to where he was sitting.

"Hey" I said sitting next to him

"I am going to change into a wolf" he said looking into the water. His voice was calm, way too calm for him which truly speaking scared me a little. I took his hand in my hand.

"Did you know? Did you know my best friend is a wolf and so is your best friend's boyfriend" he asked me when I did not say anything

I looked at the floor and nodded

"And yet you chose to hide this from me and lie"

His voice was not accusatory or angry. Again it was calm like we were talking about the weather which scared me.

"I'm…"

"Don't" he interrupted me "Let me finish"

I nodded my head

"I am not angry. I understand these were not your secrets to share. But I am upset that you chose to lie to me instead. It makes me feel like you don't trust me"

"I do trust you Paul"

He raised his hand signaling me to stop "I like you Bella. I really like you. Shit I maybe in love with you and I want us to last not end because we don't trust one another. You know Bella, I don't remember anything about my mother or seeing my parents together but whenever my father was sane enough to talk he used to tell me about their relationship. It was so messed up. So many misunderstandings and lies that finally their marriage crumpled. I don't want us to go down that same route."

I was crying by now "I am sorry it was never my intention to lie to you" I said looking at my lap

He took my hand and made me sit in his lap "Hey it's ok. Stop crying. What is done is done. Just promise me that you will never lie or hide anything from me in the future. And even I will promise you the same. No matter how painful the truth is"

I nodded my head

"There is one more thing that I have hidden from you and everyone else. How I know all this but I promise you that I will soon tell you everything. I just need some more time" I said

He nodded his head "Sam told me about imprinting and that I am going to imprint on you"

I nodded my head

"Come with me" he said after a few minutes, getting up from where he was sitting

I followed him and sat behind him on his bike as he drove through the roads of La Push finally stopping outside his house.

"Paul, why have you brought me here?"

"See this Bella" he said pointing towards his house "This is it. What I am and what I can offer you in life. A broken shack with hardly any furniture and an empty fridge with is rarely ever full. I will be a protector and will never be allowed to leave La Push and by default even you will be stuck here. My studies will be affected and I may never be able to go to college or earn as much as the others. You deserve someone much better. Do you want to tie yourself to someone like me for life?"

"Paul, do you not want me?"

"Shit Bella. I want nothing more than to be with you but…" he said looking at the ground

"Shh" I put a finger on his lips "Then let me be with you. Paul we are 17. We have a long time before we get married and start a family. We can take online classes instead of full time college and I like living here in La Push. We have our friends and family here."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to regret this in the future"

I nodded my head smiling

He smiled before pulling me in his arms "Then come here my swan"

I wrapped my arms around him as his warm lips met mine.

The next few days passed by slowly. As per Sam's instructions Paul and I could not meet anymore but we spoke on the phone a few times a day. He was running a high fever now and his body was aching much more than before. Also his growth spurt had kicked in. They had decided to force his phase if he did not naturally phase by Sunday. School was boring. Even Embry was unwell and he rarely left his room. Even living in the same house we were hardly seeing one another. Tiffany told me that he had food poisoning and would soon recover. Jared, Kim and I used to sit together at lunch and Jake, Quil and I travelled to and fro to school. Work was normal and I was enjoying myself reading all the old journals. All in all life was good.

Today was Saturday and I was bored out of my mind. I was watching anything and everything I could find on TV. Embry was resting in his room and Charlie and Tiffany were out for their date night. Jared and Kim had had their first date last night and I had received a call early this morning from an overexcited Kim telling me how fantastic Jared was.

Suddenly my phone rang pulling me out of my thoughts

"Hey Emily Wassup"

"Oh, nothing Bella just wanted to inform you of the giant new wolf running around in circles and howling on the top of his voice in my backyard. I am surprised how come nobody has called the cops or animal control yet. Jared and Sam both are trying to make him stop howling but he refuses to listen and bites anyone who comes close to him. Please Bella do something or I will go deaf"

I started laughing "Paul phased?"

"Yup"

"Give me ten minutes I will be there"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you YankeeGirlNJ, sarae32, Beuty6, Guest, .7334, Cacau Black, Guest, the newest daughter, Guest- debb for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll like my story.

Chapter 16-

I never knew that Wolves could look so distraught before I saw the faces of Sam and Jared as I reached Sam's backyard. If nothing more it was a comical sight. Every two minutes either Sam or Jared would go near Paul only to get howled at or bitten. Even Emily was laughing looking at them from the window.

Both Sam and Jared turned to look at me as I approached with pleading eyes asking me to do something.

"Hey Paul" I said as I approached the silver wolf standing there in an attacking position. I remembered the first time I had seen Paul in this form, the day I confronted Sam for taking Jake from me and slapped Paul and now I know that that was also the day he imprinted on me. I had seen him like this many times before but I had never truly appreciated his beauty. His shiny silver coat was magnificent and looked even more beautiful in the moonlight. His fur was thick and I could feel the urge to run my hands through his soft fur.

He whined softly and I lifted my gaze from his body to his eyes. I knew what was going to happen but still it was a completely different experience. As my brown eyes met his black ones, the world seemed to disappear. I could only see Paul and I knew that I would be loved and cared for all my life. He would be whatever I wanted whatever I needed a lover, a friend, a protector, someone to always stand by me no matter how difficult the situation was. In my peripheral vision I could see Paul losing his crouch and falling on his belly staring at me like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. He had also stopped howling.

I don't know for how long we just kept staring at one another. It could have been minutes or even hours. Finally I snapped out of the daze and with a huge smile on my face, walked up to his still form and sat next to him on the ground. He quickly turned to face me and put his huge head in my lap. I started running my fingers through his fur and heard something that sounded like a purr. He had closed his eyes and even I closed mine. Before this moment I never knew what to be completely at peace meant. Even without the extra senses that Paul had, I knew that his scent was my favorite and would instinctively remind me of home. It did not matter whether Sam, Jared or Emily were seeing us or not. I did not even know if they were around us at this moment.

"You are just like a cute oversized dog" I said as I opened my eyes

He opened his eyes too and gave me a playful growl

"Did I hurt your masculinity by calling you that?" I asked giggling

He gave me another playful growl

"Okay my big bad troublemaker wolf I will not call you cute from henceforth"

He nodded his big head in reply making me laugh

"Paul, can you phase back? We need to talk" asked Sam now in his human form

I could see Jared standing behind him in human form too

Paul raised his head from my lap looked once at Sam then turned to look at me and started licking my face

"Ew Paul. That is disgusting" I said wiping my face. Paul gave me a huge wolfy grin in return

"Paul I am your alpha. You can't ignore me. Don't make me give you an alpha order now" said Sam sighing

I was trying hard to control my laughter and could see Jared too covering his mouth to stop his laugh

As an answer Wolf Paul just rolled his eyes and went back to looking at me with his head still in my lap.

"Bella" said Sam "Do something"

Paul looked at him and growled slightly shaking

"Paul Can you phase back for me? Please" I said

He was silent for a few minutes before he nodded his head

"Paul, go in the woods. Jared has kept shorts for you in there. Your clothes get shredded when you phase wearing them. Think human thoughts. It will help you phase. The rest of us are waiting inside for you" said Sam

Paul gave me one last look before running into the woods

Jared came up to me and gave me his hand to get up from where I was sitting "Welcome to the Pack officially, Sister"

I smiled and hugged him

"I owe you one" said Sam coming to where the both of us were standing "You were always my sister and a pack sister but now you are also an imprint to the pack. Welcome to the pack officially"

I thanked him and gave him a hug

The three of us walked towards the house where Emily was waiting for us.

"I am so happy for you" shouted Emily coming and hugging me as soon as I entered

"Yeah even if it with Paul we are still happy for you" said Sam to which he received a look from Emily

"Thank you guys" I said laughing

Emily brought out her specialty Marble cake and all of us sat on the couch to eat and talk. I messaged Charlie that I would be late and not to wait up. It was close to two hours before Paul walked in back in his human form just wearing a pair of cut offs. Even though I had last seen him just a few days back he looked older and more mature. He now looked like a twenty five year old rather than a seventeen year old. He was also now the proud owner of an eight pack with pretty edible abs that left me drooling.

"Like what you see?" he asked me with a smirk when he saw me observing his new form

"Sure do" I answered blushing

He pulled me in his arms and kissed my forehead

Paul sat opposite the others on the couch and pulled me in his lap snuggling me closer to him

"So Paul welcome to the Pack" said Sam "I am the Alpha and Jared is the Beta as you know. We have already told you the pack rules and your duties as a protector. Emily is my imprint, Kim is Jared's and Bella is yours. As wolf packs follow hierarchy, in the pack hierarchy I am first, and then Jared and then you, followed by everyone else who phases. In the imprints as of now Emily is first, then Kim and then Bella who will be followed by the other imprints. Once Jacob Black phases he will become Alpha and I will become beta and his imprint's position will be first with Emily second."

"Why Jacob though?" asked Paul

"He is Ephraim Black's great grandson and the rightful alpha. I am just filling in for him till he phases"

Paul nodded his head

"So I will get the tattoo machine out. All pack members have to get a tattoo on their arm which terms them as a protector and a part of the pack" said Sam before getting up from his seat and going inside his room.

"Oh so that is what your tattoo means" Paul asked Jared and he nodded "Kim Connweller huh?"

Jared nodded again with a smile on his face and a dreamy look in his eyes which he always got when he spoke about Kim

"Does she know?" asked Paul

"No going to tell her soon"

Sam came out with the tattoo gun and I moved out of Paul's lap to let him do his work

"Hey, even we imprints should have a tattoo signifying we are a part of the pack" said Emily "What say Bella?"

"I don't mind. I think it is pretty cool"

"Then done even Bella and I are getting inked and Kim can get one once she is in the Knowing"

"Are you'll sure?" asked Sam

"Yeah it can be like an imprint thing" I said

"Okay then. But it will pain. You'll don't have the rapid healing that we have" said Sam

Emily and I both looked at one another before nodding our heads

"Fine then once I am done with Paul's I'll do yours"

Paul's tattoo was soon completed and thanks to his rapid healing it recovered in a few minutes.

"So who is going first?" asked Sam

"I'll go" I said

I sat on the now empty couch and closed my eyes waiting for the pain which I knew was going to come. This was my first tattoo after all. Paul took my hand in his hand and I started squeezing his hand tighter once Sam started his work. I only winced a few times and was pretty happy when I saw the end product. Paul and I now had matching tattoos on our arms. Emily sat next to get hers done and soon even she had a pack tattoo on her arm.

"I think it makes you look sexy" whispered my wolf in my ear making me blush

"So I think we are done for the day. I will give you the updated patrol schedule tomorrow, Paul you can go home and rest today. Jared you are on Patrol" said Sam

We all soon left their house. Jared left for his patrol and Paul walked me the short distance back to my home. I took his hand in mine and intertwined our fingers

"So what forced your phase?" I asked him. I had spoken to him this morning and he seemed calm despite of all the other symptoms

"Lauren Mallory" he replied with a scowl

"What?"

"She had come to meet me today in the afternoon. Said that she is madly in love with me and when I asked her to leave mind you very politely, she forcibly kissed me. I threw her out then but the damage was done and I was angry enough to explode"

"What?" I shouted "How dare she do this? I am going to kill that bitch the next time I see her"

Paul started laughing and pulled me closer to him giving me a kiss

"I like it when my kitten is jealous" he said with a slight smirk

"I am not jealous. I am annoyed" I said in a barely audible voice

He laughed louder "Sure you are not"

"So tell me about the first phase. Does it pain?"

He did not say anything for a few minutes before speaking "It pains a lot. You wish for death instead. Your bones break and readjust. The first time you phase your new body and mind is in complete chaos. Your senses are heightened and everything seems new. Hearing people's voices in your head is even weirder. My only motivation to keep going was that I knew that I was going to imprint on you"

I just squeezed his hand in support. We had reached my house by now

"So I will see you tomorrow?" I asked him and he nodded his head

I gave him a quick peck on the lips before going inside the house.

The next morning was Sunday and I had breakfast with Charlie and Tiffany. Embry was still sleeping in his room. Charlie just raised his eyebrow when he saw my new tattoo but did not say anything and Tiffany told me that it looks good. After breakfast I decided to go to Sam's as everyone else would already be there as usual.

"Good morning Bella" said Emily from the kitchen where she was making eggs. Sam was on the couch reading a newspaper

"Good morning Em"

"Just admit it I am faster than you" said Paul as he entered the house and made a beeline for me giving me a brief kiss

"No way, I am faster and a better fighter" said Jared sitting on the dining table and taking a plate filled with eggs

Paul scoffed a laugh "In your dreams Cameron"

"Do you want to fight and see?" asked Jared

"You are on. Get ready to lose" said Paul

Both of them got up from their seats, food forgotten

"Paul, Jared enough. Sit down, eat your food and then get going, back to Patrol" said Sam "Why do I get a feeling that I am going to be more of a referee than an alpha in the coming days?" he added making Emily and me laugh and Paul and Jared roll their eyes.

"So how was your first patrol?" I asked Paul

"Good I like the running part and the strength. I can't wait to get me hands on some leech."

"Paul you need to train before that. Here I have made your patrol schedule for the week. As you are suspended from school you will be taking some of Jared's patrol too" said Sam

Paul scowled but nodded his head rather reluctantly

"We should go to the beach today. The weather is nice" said Emily as we all sat at the dining table

"We can have a bonfire" I added

"I can ask Billy to tell the legends for the pack. It will be your first time of hearing it right Bella?" asked Sam

I shook my head "I have heard it before" I said looking at the floor. I had promised Paul I would never lie to him again and that was one promise I was keeping

"Okay" said Sam but did not question me more "It can be like a tradition. Every time a new wolf phases or someone imprints we can hold a bonfire where Billy tells the stories like he used to when we were growing up at the monthly bonfires held by the council"

"Can I invite Kim? It will be easier for me to give her the 'I am a shape shifter speech' after she hears the legends" asked Jared and Sam nodded his head

"I got lucky didn't I" whispered Paul in my ear and as usual I blushed

"Bella and I will make the food for tonight and Sam you inform Billy and the other elders. I am assuming Harry and Old Quil will come" said Emily

"I am going home to sleep. I will see you'll in the evening" said Jared before walking out

"I have Patrol. I will pick you up in the evening?" asked Paul and I nodded my head

The next few hours were spent in cooking food for the bonfire. Even though we were only going to be nine of us, Emily and I had to cook for an army because of the wolf appetite. After we were done I returned home and got dressed for the bonfire. Paul came to pick me up at 6 and officially met Charlie as my boyfriend. Thankfully Charlie was not cleaning his gun this time around and did not threaten him much. Key word here is 'Much'.

The weather was nice and windy as Paul and I walked over to first beach where the bonfire was being held. Jacob dropped Billy off before leaving as only people in the knowing were allowed to be here. Emily and Sam were already here and so were Harry and Old Quil. Jared and Kim also soon arrived. I introduced Kim to Emily and both of them also got along pretty well.

We had dinner after which we sat around the fire and Billy started telling the legends. No matter how many times I would hear these stories they always left fascinated and wanting for more.

"So Kim what do you think of these legends that Billy just recited?" asked Jared once Billy was done

"I think they are captivating"

"They are all true. I am a shape shifter and I imprinted on you like in the story of Taha Aki and the third wife"

"This is a joke right?" shouted Kim getting up from where she was seated looking at the rest of us

Jared shook his head and before anyone else could react, Kim ran out of here terrified

Jared was about to follow her when Billy interrupted him "Stop Jared, Give her some time to take this all in. Bella, can you and Emily talk to her? Maybe getting an imprint perspective will help"

Both of us nodded our heads

Suddenly we heard a scared howl coming from the woods. Sam phased to see what it was while the rest of us waited here

Then out of nowhere came four howls

"Shit someone new phased" said Jared before he and Paul ran into the woods to phase

Old Quil's voice rang into my ears from our meeting weeks back. 'Everyone who was supposed to phase will still phase and in the same order'

Sam, Jared and Paul had phased. Next was Embry according to the order.

"Shit Embry" I whispered


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you .7334, YankeeGirlNJ, Guest, sarae32, Beuty6, Missysue32, brankel1, debb lavoie for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll like my story.

MammaNita4: Thank you for your review. Yes Bella was aware that Embry was ill but because her concentration was on Paul who was also about to phase she did not pay much attention to Embry and thought that his food poisoning was nothing more than that. And also she was rarely seeing Embry as either she was out or he was resting so she missed the other symptoms. Glad you like the story. Keep reading. Thank you.

Chapter 17-

The thing about time is that it goes the slowest when you want it to go fast. The Bonfire seemed like months ago but in reality it had only been four days since then. Four extremely long days that no matter how much I wished for the opposite went excruciatingly slow. It had started with Kim running away leaving a devastated Jared behind whose wolf saw this as Imprint rejection. Then the second shock of the day had been Embry phasing out of the blue. How had we missed the obvious symptoms was a mystery to me. How had I missed this living in the same house as him was an even bigger mystery. I had not given a second thought to it when Tiffany told me that Embry had food poisoning not correlating that certain symptoms were the same.

After Sam, Jared and Paul had left to calm down a terrified Embry, Emily and I had packed everything before dropping Billy back to his place and calling it a night. In the brief period when Paul had phased back, he had informed us that Embry was in no condition to listen and it was going to be a long night so we should go back to our homes and get some rest. So Emily had gone back to the Clearwater house while I had gone back to my own house to get some sleep though naturally sleep evaded me.

The next morning before school I had tried calling all three of them but to no response. Even Emily was clueless of the current situation. The situation in my living room had been no different as Tiffany had realized that Embry was not home and had first called up Quil and Jake to check whether he had stayed over at theirs. When both of them had answered in the negative she had gotten worried and called up her relatives in Makah and a few other classmates of Embry. As she had put it, it was very unlikely of Embry to spend the night anywhere without telling her where he was.

School had gone by slowly and if I had any hope of talking to Kim and reconciling, my hope had diminished the minute I realized that she had skipped school and calling her was futile as she was not picking up my phone. After school I had picked up Emily and driven to Sam's house only to find it locked and no way to talk to our wolves. That had been Monday. Tuesday morning had gone by in a similar manner with Tiffany crying and Charlie consoling her and Kim skipping again. The only good part had been that after school I had been able to talk to Paul on the phone for five minutes who had only phased to inform us of the situation. Embry had not taken his sudden phasing well at all and had gone running to Canada. It had taken the others close to twelve hours to bring him back and even after bringing him back he was not calm enough to phase back. His mind was in a chaotic state with melancholic thoughts going through it. He considered himself a 'monster' and thought that his mother and friends would hate him if they knew the truth.

Adding into it was Jared's pain who was feeling like his imprint rejected him and had given up, whimpering lying on the ground. Even he was unable to phase back.

So with two wolves down Patrolling had fallen on Sam and Paul who could not phase back to patrol the res as well as keep an eye on Embry and Jared. They were scared that Jared and Embry would lose control and do something they would regret in the future. I had told Paul of the current situation and how worried Tiffany, Charlie, Jake and Quil were and in return he had told me that Sam had literally begged Embry to let him tell Tiffany the truth but he had refused. And according to the council the decision of telling the family was of the wolf and no one could inform them if the wolf said no.

Wednesday saw Charlie terming Embry as a runaway and sending his photo to other police stations and putting up posters. Tiffany who had not stopped crying since Monday had finally gone to the Makah reservation to stay with her sister while Charlie used all his sources to find Embry.

Talking to Kim was a completely different story as she skipped school again on Wednesday and her mother said that she was not well when I called on her land line.

Wednesday also saw me getting into two intense discussions, one with Billy and the other with Harry. I argued, fought and finally pleaded with them that the council should take some action in this matter but the rules were clear, it was the wolf's decision and the council's hands were tied. The council law stated that only council and imprints could know of the truth and if the wolf chose his family and because Tiffany was Makah and not Quileute, she was not aware of the legends making the situation even more difficult. When Sam had phased for the first time even he had lost himself to the wolf, unable to phase back for two weeks but his father had left him as a child and his mother was dead so the only person actively searching for him was Leah and Harry who had a doubt that Sam had phased, had managed to keep the police out of it.

I also had the fleeting thought of telling them myself but Paul had warned me against it. This was a council law and only one person could overrule it without facing any consequences, Jacob as the true Alpha but he was yet to phase.

Today was Thursday, the fourth day since our life went haywire and two days since I had spoken to Paul. I got up early to prepare breakfast for Charlie before leaving for school. Even though I was in no mood to go to school and behave like everything was normal, the council had said that appearances were important.

"Hey Dad" I said as I entered the living room. Charlie was sitting on the couch going through a few files. He had dark circles under his eyes showing that he had not slept in days.

"Hey Bells"

"Any news on how Tiffany is doing?" I asked giving him a cup of coffee

He sighed before speaking "Not good Bells. I spoke to her this morning. Her father is also trying to use all his sources in Makah to find Embry but to no use"

"How is your search going?" I asked him. For the hundredth time I wished that Embry had let us tell Tiffany and Charlie the truth but Embry refused to budge. Also now that the police was involved the council had asked me to keep a tab on their search. They had to be informed in case Charlie found anything out of order so that the tracks could be covered.

"No leads but I found something"

"What dad?"

"Almost a year back Sam Uley had disappeared in a similar manner and had returned two weeks later with no answer as to where he was"

"That can just be a coincidence dad. I am sure Embry is just stuck somewhere. He will soon be back"

"I hope so Bells"

After that I left to go to school picking up Jake and Quil on the way. Both of them were equally worried and upset.

"Why would he suddenly run away like this?" screamed Jake making the whole truck shake. Just as a protective measure I checked his forehead to see if the werewolf gene had been activated in him but it was normal temperature and neither had he gone through a growth spurt. So, only Paul and Embry had been affected by the arrival of the nomads.

"Maybe he got kidnapped and is locked away somewhere in a basement being tortured and the kidnappers are going to call for ransom" said Quil with a thoughtful look on his face

Both Jake and I gave him the 'Are you serious look'

"What? It happens all the time in movies" he said making Jake roll my eyes

"Stop watching such movies. He has not been kidnapped" I said with finality

"If you are forgetting Quil, this is La Push. The crime rate here is nonexistent" said Jake "And plus no one would kidnap Embry. I don't think anyone could do that to him"

I nodded my head internally praying that Embry would get control over him soon and would be able to phase back.

The school day passed by very slowly. Even though it had been just three days since Embry's sudden disappearance the news that he had run away was all throughout Forks and La Push and it just added to the gossip mill that was circulating all kinds of horrendous rumors. I kept to myself ignoring the girls who spoke to me in order to get more gossip on the topic.

After school I decided to drive to Kim's place. Today come what may, I was going to talk to Kim and solve atleast one of these messes.

I knocked on the door of the two storied house at the edge of La Push. Knowing the chief of the tribe did have some advantages after all. He could easily tell you where who stayed.

A short woman in her late 40s opened the door. She had a kind expression on her face.

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"Hello Mrs. Connweller, I am Bella Swan, Kim's friend from school. She has been absent from a few days so I brought her homework"

"That is so sweet of you dear. Come in."

I followed her inside

"Please sit. Will you have something to drink?"

"No, thank you" I replied with a smile

She nodded her head "Kimberly, someone's here to see you" she said in a tone no louder than the one she was using while talking to me. I heard a grunt followed by the banging of the door.

"I will be in my room if you'll need anything" Mrs. Connweller said before exiting the room

"Bella" she stuttered as she entered the living room taking a few stops back when she saw me. Her eyes were puffy as if she had just been crying and she looked thinner and physically exhausted.

"Hey Kim, can we talk"

"Are you also a…?" she asked looking scared

I assumed she meant shape shifter and shook my head "No only the boys. Please Kim give me a chance to explain. If you still want nothing to do with Jared or any of us, I will never pester you again."

She looked around before nodding her head "Not here, in my room"

I followed her up the stairs before entering a room that looked badly trashed.

"Sorry I have been a mess" she said with a short laugh "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Kim, I know this is all a little hard to take in. You can ask me any question you have. I am Paul's imprint. But just don't shut down Jared like this. If you have doubts you can also ask him. He will answer you"

"What is imprinting?"

"Imprinting is the wolf's way of finding his soul mate. After they phase for the first time, when they meet the eyes of the person they are meant to be with, they imprint on her. Nothing else matters. She becomes their world. They will be whatever their imprint wants them to be friend, brother, lover. The only thing they want in life is to see their imprint as loved, happy, cared for and protected."

"And you are Paul's imprint?"

I nodded my head "He imprinted on me on Saturday"

"How is this decided? Can it be broken?"

"The spirits decide it. No, it is for life. It can't be broken"

She sat on her bed and took her head in her hands. I could hear her crying softly

"Give Jared a chance Kim. This amount of loyalty is hard to find"

"That's it Bella. He only wants me because of this wolf mojo. I have been in love with him since the past five years and I had convinced myself that it was always going to be unrequited. And now he notices me, not because he wants to be with me but because his wolf demands it."

"It is not like that Kim. Yes the wolf likes you but the man likes you more"

"How can I trust him? He only took me out on a date because he was forced to"

"Kim give him a chance. Start with being friends. Let him fall in love with you and then take a decision. I am sure you won't regret it."

"How do you know that Paul's love is real and not forced?"

I gave her a small smile "You know Kim, before I met Paul my idea of love was very different. I was the kind to fall in love on the first date. But after giving Paul a chance I realized that my concept of true love was so flawed. What I shared with my ex was attraction and not love. Deep encompassing love takes time. When you accept a person completely flaws included, that is love. Paul is my best friend before my boyfriend and every day I learn something new about him"

"I didn't know you had an ex. What was he like?"

"He was the most attractive man I had laid eyes on. I had just moved to that place and I had met him the first day itself. I could not believe my luck when he showed interest in me. He was the most handsome man in school and he showed interest in me. I was vulnerable and under confident. Our relationship went too fast. One date and we were in a serious relationship. We hardly knew one another but I would give my life for him. His family accepted me and treated me like one of their own on our first meeting itself. I was ready to leave everything behind for him. My father, my friends, my childhood, my likes dislikes. Now that I look back I see that it was an obsession more than love. You know a few months into our relationship, he left me telling me that I was not good enough for him and he and his family relocated to another place. I was a mess. He had become like a drug to me. I would not eat or sleep. I was catatonic. Somehow I managed to survive and after a few months he came back and told me that he lied and loved me. I took him back Kim after all the pain he made me go through. How pathetic was I?" I said wailing

Even she was crying by now "He does not seem good for you."

"He was not. I now realize that. Again we picked up from where we left and I hurt my father and my best friend so much in that period. We spoke about marriage and a life together. I did not want to get married but I said yes because it made him happy"

"Then what happen? How did you'll break up?"

"Two people rescued me and made me realize what an idiot I was being. After meeting Paul I realized that love is not supposed to be so difficult. It is easy. Yes you do make sacrifices but you don't completely lose your identity. With my ex, I was no longer myself. I was just a puppet whose strings he pulled" I said with a sad smile

"To be honest he sounds like a manipulative controlling jerk" she said

I nodded with a slight laugh

"And then I am guessing you moved here?" she asked

I nodded my head "I did not want to rush into anything with Paul because of this reason. We first became good friends and then started dating. You know we have not even confessed our love for one another yet, even though he has imprinted on me. Sam and Emily started off as friends too. They are now dating and are planning to move in together by the end of this month."

"So you think I should give Jared a chance?"

I nodded "Take it at your own pace"

"Where is he right now?"

"In his wolf form lost somewhere in the woods"

"Huh" she asked confused

"When you ran away from the bonfire his wolf saw this as his imprint rejecting him and gave himself to the wolf"

"Crap can I see him? I need to see him"

"Let's go"

We quickly bid her mother bye and left to go to Sam's house. I messaged Emily to meet us there directly.

I drove my truck as fast as I could and parked it in Sam's driveway. Emily was already waiting for us.

"Paul" I shouted to the wind while simultaneously Emily shouted 'Sam' and Kim shouted 'Jared'

Almost on cue three huge wolfs walked out of the woods. The Black one who was first made a beeline to Emily, the brown one who looked slightly weaker than the others walked to Kim and the silver one walked towards me.

Kim gripped my hand in fear looking at the wolves approaching

"Look into the brown ones eyes Kim. You will see Jared" I said holding her hand and taking a step ahead. Jared came in front of us lying on his paws and acting as harmless as he could. Kim slightly took a step ahead and touched his fur with a shaking hand

"Will he understand if I talk to him?" she asked me but the wolf Jared nodded his head

I decided to give them their privacy and walked to my wolf that was patiently waiting for me

"Hey Paul" I said sitting next to him on the ground

He came and put his head in my lap

"Can you phase?"

He shook his head

"Alpha orders to keep an eye on Embry?"

He nodded his head

"Is he okay, any closer to phasing back than before?" I asked him

He shook his head

I looked into his eyes "Embry, brother if you can hear me. You need to phase back. No one sees you as a monster. You are still you. Tiffany, Charlie, Jake, Quil, me, we all miss you. Please try to come back to us"

I cuddled to Paul a little closer. I could see Emily talking to Sam in his wolf form and even Kim was looking comfortable around Jared.

"One down one to go" I mumbled in Paul's fur while he purred in delight.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thank you Taylor9901, YankeeGirlNJ, Beuty6, sarae32, the newest daughter, .7334, MammaNita4, brankel1 for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll like my story.

Chapter 18-

Friday came and went in a similar manner. The only difference was that Kim was present in school. She and Jared had had a long overdue chat and had decided to be friends for now, taking it slow.

Sam's orders were that two out of them three were always supposed to be phased with Embry to keep an eye on him. And so Sam and Paul had stayed phased while Jared phased back for a few hours to talk to Kim and go home. Sam and Paul lived alone but Jared still lived with his parents and even though his parents knew that he was a shape shifter, his younger brother was not aware and had been asking questions about Jared's whereabouts.

Today was Saturday and like the other days of this week it was dull and boring. I woke up late for a change and prepared breakfast before cleaning my room and doing a few household chores. Charlie was at the station already and Tiffany was still in Makah.

I was watching TV in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Paul standing there with a silly smile on his face. I rushed into his arms as his warm arms came to wrap around me pulling me closer to him.

"Hey" I whispered rubbing my face in his chest taking in his scent that reminded me of the finest chocolates available to mankind.

"Hey you"

I took his hand and pulled him in the house making him sit on the couch

"Have you eaten lunch?" I asked him

He shook his head "Been hunting in wolf form from the past few days"

"I will make you something" I said before rushing into the kitchen and making a few turkey sandwiches

He followed me in despite of my protests and helped me while we fell into an easy conversation of everyday topics. I told him about school and the piled up homework we had been assigned and how Embry was the center of gossip right now. One good thing that came from Paul's fight before he phased was that the principal was now aware of them being protectors and attendance did not matter for them. Though, they had to keep up with their grades in order to pass the year.

We spoke about Kim and Jared and Paul gave me a run through of their entire conversation as that was the only thing going on in Jared's mind for hours and in the Pack there were no secrets. Everyone knew everything thanks to the mind link. Though, Kim had already told me and Emily the entire story when we met for sometime after school on Friday. Just like the boys had their mind link we girls had ours but the only difference was that we could not actually read each other's mind.

"So how is Embry?" I asked once he had eaten his sandwiches

We were now sitting on the couch facing one another. Sam had given Paul half a day free and once Paul would resume his place, Sam would take a few hours and go meet Emily.

"No change" he said sighing "All of us are tired of this babysitting duty. The kid is not ready to listen."

"But what is going on in his mind?"

"Firstly there is a lot of self loathing. He sees himself as nothing more than a monster. Then there is hatred and blaming towards leeches in general and my father who is also his father and the gene giver. And because his emotions are so haywire, he has no control to phase back. And mainly as of now he is rejecting his wolf causing problems between man side and wolf side."

"But that is wrong. You'll are protectors not monsters" I screamed

He took me in his lap "Hush now, I know sweetheart and we are trying to get this through his head but frankly we are out of ideas"

"I will talk to Kim and Emily. See if we can think of something"

"I just don't get it. Why can't Sam alpha order him to phase back and get this done with? He keeps saying that Embry has to learn to accept this new part of him and has to be at peace with his wolf and he is not going to alpha order him to do so. Embry has to do this himself" he said taking his head in his hands. I could see how stressed all of them were with this current situation.

"He is correct Paul. Being shape shifters is a huge part of your lives. Embry is going to phase for atleast the next few years. Sam cannot alpha order him every time. He will have to make peace with his wolf"

"Maybe you are right. We cannot have a conflicted wolf in a fight. It will weaken our side"

"True" I said nodding my head

From Jake I knew this and even in this short period that I had been with Paul, I had realized that Paul was the fighter and the strategist of the pack. Always at the forefront when it came to a calamity. And I guess he got his fighting spirit from his tough childhood. If Paul was the muscle of the pack, Sam was the mature mind who could keep perseverance in a difficult situation. And Jared was the calm one who managed the others and maintained peace in the pack. I guess time would tell what roles the others would fulfill.

Paul and I spent some more time talking about mindless topics before he had to leave to free Sam. He hugged me goodbye and gave me a chaste kiss before promising that he would see me as soon as possible.

Charlie came home even later that night. He looked worse than before and I knew that he was tiring himself out trying to find Embry.

The next morning I woke up with a renewed energy. We had to do something about the Embry situation. I quickly called up Emily and Kim and told them to meet me at my place in an hour. Charlie was at the station even though it was a Sunday and we would need privacy to have our conversation which we would not get at either Emily's or Kim's. Emily still lived with the Clearwater's and Sue and Seth were clueless of the legends being true and Kim had four younger siblings so we could not risk anyone eavesdropping even by accident.

"So wolf girls, we have a dilemma" I said in a professional tone as we sat on the dining table drinking coffee and eating Emily's special muffins.

"Embry situation?" asked Emily

I nodded my head "Sam filled you in?"

She nodded her head

"And so did Jared" said Kim

"So what are we going to do now? Our boys are clueless and we have to find a way to show Embry that he is a protector and not a monster. And he is as normal and humane as he was before" I said "Any suggestions team?"

"Talking to Embry and making him understand is out of question. The boys have already tried that and so is mocking him and telling him that he is a sissy" said Kim

"Wait who told him that he is a sissy?" I asked them and both of them looked at the ceiling suddenly finding it fascinating.

"Paul" I muttered. Sam and Jared would not be so insensitive to tell this to Embry on his face.

"Okay so coming back to the topic" said Emily "Any new ideas"

"I guess we have to show him this by action and not words" said Kim

We brainstormed for the next hour giving suggestions which one of the other two would cross out.

"Okay I have one" I said before running them through my idea

Both of them were quiet for a few minutes "Are you sure about this Bella? This is dangerous" said Emily

"I agree with her" said Kim

"It may work" I said giving them a pleading look

"Fine let's talk about this with the boys but let me tell you Paul will never agree for this" said Emily

"I don't think even Jared and Sam will agree for this" said Kim

"Look he is my brother okay and I am going to do everything I can to help him"

Both of them nodded their heads reluctantly. I quickly took out my phone and called Sam. Luckily he was the one off duty right now. He told me that he will free Paul and meet us in fifteen minutes. I knew convincing both of them for my plan was going to be difficult.

"So Bella has a suggestion?" said Emily as they sat on the couch

"What suggestion?" asked Sam

I quickly repeated my idea and with every word Paul's growling increased as expected.

"Are you out of your senses woman?" shouted Paul when I finished "No way am I letting you do this"

"He is my brother Paul and if there is any chance of this working. I am ready to give it a try"

"He is my brother too Bella and I do care about him and want him to be okay but you are my imprint and I not going to let you put yourself in danger" said Paul with a firm expression on his face

"Even though I hate to say this" said Sam "I agree with Bella. Embry needs this and this will help him get in touch with his wolf. The protector side of his wolf will come out to protect Bella and fight the leech."

"You can't be serious Sam" said Emily shaking her head

"Even if you agree I don't and I will not sit here and let you put 'my imprint' in danger" said Paul with a growl

I quickly got up from my seat and went and sat in his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer

"No no no" he mumbled with his head on my shoulder

"Paul, listen to me. You will be there and so will the others. One wrong move and you can rescue me. This will be sort of cathartic for Embry and he will be protecting me so we will be killing two birds with one stone"

"But why will the Cullen's agree for this?" asked Sam

The plan was simple. Even though the others found it risky I did not. I was going to purposefully get lost in the woods with only Embry on patrol and in the area around where I was. Jasper was going to come in front of me and behave like he is going to attack and Embry would fight him to protect me. Just before the fight starts Sam would phase in and order Embry to fight but not kill. In short using a vampire like a punching bag would help Embry remove some of his pent up anger and hatred and it will also show him that he is a protector that protects humans. Even though the Cullen's are not dangerous as they are vegetarians they still classify as Vampires.

"Jasper is their best fighter and craves a good fight and plus they live for centuries and this will be like a fun activity for him" I said hoping that they would agree to help us

"You know I really don't like it that you know these leeches on first name basis" said Paul

"They are not the bad ones Paul" I said "And I am not their friend or have an intention of being their friend. I am just asking them for their help in the time of need"

"I can't risk the treaty though" said Sam

"You won't. Embry will be in wolf form and you'll three will be around and even Jasper will not come alone. Someone will be accompanying him. So you can stop the fight if it starts going out of hand."

"I still don't like it" said Paul

"Please Paul trust me on this"

"Fine" he said after a few minutes "But I still don't like this" he said pouting and I kissed his pout.

"I will call the Cullen's. Let's see what they reply" said Sam before taking out his phone and putting it on speaker.

The phone rang a total of three times before Carlisle picked it up

"Hello Dr. Carlisle Cullen here"

"Carlisle, this is Sam Uley from the La Push reservation"

"Yes Sam tell me"

Sam quickly went through the plan and the current mental status of Embry.

"Give me the phone Carlisle" said a voice I recognized as Jasper

Before Jasper could say anything else he started laughing loudly "I have an even better suggestion for you'll Sam. You see my brother who is a clairvoyant turned up with his wife at our house this morning saying that he needed to be here. He is an excellent fighter just like me and his red eyes will mess with the head of wolf boy"

Paul started growling loudly muttering curses and pulling me closer to him

"That must be your mate Ms Swan. Tell him my brother and his wife has excellent control and only feed on the scums of society. So you will be safe and he just like me loves a good fight."

"So do you agree to help us?" said Sam

"Sure" said Jasper

"We have one more request to make actually" I said "There will be four wolves from our side so if possible only four of you'll come so that it is equal on both sides"

"Okay no problem. Carlisle, Pete, Char and I will come" said Jasper

Sam and Carlisle spoke for a few more minutes before deciding that we would execute the plan tomorrow night in a meadow that was in common territory. Ironically it was the same place where they had trained to fight the newborns.

I was extremely nervous come Monday morning. I just hoped everything would go well tonight and Embry would come back to himself and become the calm, happy person he was pre-phase.

Sam had alpha ordered Paul not to think about our plan while on Patrol and Jared was told about the plan when he phased out. Just like Paul, he had not been very happy but had accepted this as the last resort.

Paul was still suspended from school so he was on patrol today while Jared came back to school. Kim was also equally nervous and kept biting her nails. None of us could actually concentrate on what was being taught in class though.

After school I called Tiffany up and spoke to her for a while mentally hoping that the next time I called her up, it would be with the good news that Embry had returned home.

For a change Charlie was home at dinner time and after a quiet dinner I bid him goodnight and told him that I was sleeping early.

An hour or so later when I could hear Charlie snoring in his room I called Paul up who was going to escort me from here till the meadow.

"Open up Swan" I heard banging on my window and quickly opened it. Paul jumped in.

"You okay?" he inquired

I nodded my head

"If you want to back out, we can cancel the plan"

"No" I took a deep breath "We have to do this"

"Okay but I will be right there. I find anything suspicious and I will phase"

I nodded my head and gave him a quick kiss reassuring the both of us.

He wrapped me in his arms and told me to close my eyes. Before I could ask why, we had jumped out of the first floored window landing on the ground.

I put a hand on my heart

"You scared me?" I told him making him chuckle

"So Ms Swan, you ready for your wolf carriage?"

"Wolf carriage? I am going on your back?"

"Yup it is easier and don't worry I will protect my thoughts so Embry doesn't realize but I doubt he will realize even if I shout it in my head. He is so out of it currently"

I nodded my head. He quickly went behind a tree to phase. I closed my eyes to give him privacy. I heard rustling and opened them again to see a silver wolf with clothes in his mouth standing opposite me.

"You want me to hold it for you?"

He nodded his head and lied down on the floor. I took the clothes and climbed onto him like a person climbs on a horse. When I was a child, Renee had forced me to take horse riding classes in an attempt to make me go out more. I had taken a few classes before falling down from a horse and injuring myself putting an end to it.

He got up from his lying down position to his full height. Anticipating what was coming next I closed my eyes and in the next few seconds I felt like we were running through the woods at top speed. I clutched to Paul's fur tighter.

After what felt like a few minutes we stopped in the familiar meadow and I opened my eyes and got off Paul's back. I gave him his clothes and he went to phase back.

"Bella you okay?" asked Sam coming out of his hiding place. Jared was right behind him.

I nodded my head

"Embry is the only one patrolling right now. Hopefully he will scent the leech and come here. We are hiding behind a few trees. Shout if you need anything"

Both of them hugged me before leaving. Paul came out now in human form and held me for a while with his eyes closed before kissing me on the forehead and leaving to join his pack brothers.

I stayed at that place for a while before I saw a blurred figure coming from a distance running at vampire speed. The red eyed vampire stopped in front of me. Though his eyes were read, they were sparkling with amusement and his face was kind and jovial.

"Howdy Ms Swan. Captain Peter Whitlock at your service" he said doing the action of raising an invisible hat making me blush

"Hello I am Bella. Thank you for helping us"

"My pleasure I have not been in a fight in decades. But I must say it is pretty innovative and commendable to convince your mortal enemy to be your punching bag. Wolf boy is going to have a blast" he said making me giggle

"So where is your mate?" he asked me "I am surprised he let you come here. I have heard wolves are very territorial when it comes to their mate"

I pointed towards one of the trees "He is but he understands that Embry is my brother"

He nodded his head "You know Jasper is my brother and also my and Char's sire"

I nodded my head "Seems like you'll are close"

"We are though we don't meet that often"

Suddenly we heard a terrifyingly loud howl and a grey wolf with black spots entered the meadow coming and standing in front of me in a protective stance.

"Come on wolf boy. Show me what you got" said Peter with a smirk

At a distance I could see Sam and Jared as wolves and on the other side Jasper, Carlisle and another woman with red eyes who I recognized as Peter's wife Char, were standing.

Before Embry could react I was pulled into the arms of a warm body that kept checking me for injuries

"Paul I am fine. I was right in front of you"

"Sorry it is my wolf. You were too close to the enemy for our liking"

Paul hugged me close to him while in my peripheral vision I could see Embry pounce on Peter and Peter fighting back like it was a game. Everyone else just stood behind watching them both. Finally after what seemed like a while Sam gave out a loud howl and Embry fell motionless and moved away from Peter.

Suddenly he started shaking like he was having a seizure and in wolf Embry's place stood now human Embry. Jared came out in human form and threw him some shorts which he quickly wore and fell to the ground crying.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around him and he just held me while he cried.

"We thank you and your family again Carlisle" said Sam. Everyone had now assembled around us. "And especially you Peter"

"No problem. I enjoyed myself" said Peter "We will be leaving now" he wrapped his arms around his wife "Nice meeting you Ms Swan"

"Same here" I said with one hand holding Embry and the other holding Paul's hand which I squeezed lightly.

"Bye Sugar" said Char winking at me before they both disappeared. Carlisle and Jasper followed them both.

Embry was still crying

"Embry, you are a protector not a monster. You are the good guy. Get this in your thick head"

He nodded his head

"Come on let's go home. Tiffany and Charlie are really worried"

He clutched my hand tightly

"Sam" he called out "I want to tell my mom and Charlie the truth"

"You have our permission" said Sam.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you YankeeGirlNJ, sarae32, Taylor9901, Beuty6, MammaNita4, .7334, debb lavoie, the newest daughter, Missysue32 for your reviews. It makes me happy to know that you'll like my story.

Chapter 19-

"So you are saying that you and a bunch of other 'teenagers' regularly change into horse sized wolves to patrol and protect the reservation from 'Vampires'. Did I hear correctly?" asked Charlie sipping his beer.

It had been two days since our plan of making Embry embrace his wolf. In the wee hours of the morning when Embry had finally phased back to human exactly a week after he first phased, Sam had taken him back to his place to rest and get some sleep. Most of Tuesday had been spent in Embry learning the minute details of being a shape shifter and other formalities like getting a tattoo and chopping his waist length hair as the longer the hair shaggier the fur. In the evening he had run down to Makah to talk to Tiffany and get her back to La Push without giving her the actual reason for his disappearance yet. Tiffany had been glad that Embry was back and accepted the excuse she got for his running away but Charlie had huffed and said in clear words that Embry was lying and he was going to find out what we were hiding.

The elders and Sam had decided that Charlie and Tiffany would be told together on Thursday in the presence of Sam, Embry, Paul, Me and Billy. Billy because apart from being the Tribal chief he was Charlie's oldest friend and possibly the only one who could calm Charlie down if he decided to take out his gun. We had currently just finished telling him and Tiffany the legends and were sitting in the living room of our house.

"And the reason why Embry here has been missing for an entire week was because he changed into an 'animal' and could not become human again?" continued Charlie looking at everyone else around him.

Sam and Embry were sitting next to one another on the couch just staring at Charlie. Paul was sitting next to me holding my hand and Billy was sitting in the corner looking outside the window. Tiffany was sitting next to Charlie with a bizarre expression on her face, a mix of confusion, shock and anger.

"Well someone answer me and if this is a joke, I can assure you it is not funny" shouted Charlie

"Yes Chief Swan. That is correct. Embry phased for the first time last Monday" said Sam nervously shifting at his place

"I can understand about the others but Bella you knew about this?" he asked looking at me

"Yes dad since a while" I whispered and Paul squeezed my hand

"Hmm" he said "Do I know any of these Vampires? You said that they have to be around for the gene to get activated"

"The Cullen's are Vampires" said Sam

"What!" shouted Charlie getting up from his seat "I just saw Carlisle and his wife this morning, if they are vampires why are they living here and how come they came out in the day?"

"Calm down Charlie. They are Vegetarians as in they feed from animals and we have a treaty with them. They can't harm a human while they live here" said Billy

"And dad, those are all myths. They can come out in the day but not when it is sunny as their skin sparkles under the sun"

"What treaty?"

"Our ancestors made a treaty with Carlisle the last time his coven moved here. My grandfather Ephraim Black was a part of the last pack"

"Wait. Is Jacob also a shape shifter?" asked Charlie

Billy shook his head "Not yet but he will. It is in his blood"

Charlie nodded his head "So as of now who all are in this 'pack'?"

"Paul, Embry, me and Jared Cameron" said Sam

"So I am going to take a guess here but all those hiker attacks that happen a few weeks back were they vampire doings?" asked Charlie

Sam nodded his head "They were nomads but have been dealt with"

"How can they be killed? Are any of those myths true?"

"They can only be killed by another vampire or by us. We are as fast as them and our teeth can pierce through their skin"

"So I am assuming not everyone can know this secret" started Charlie "Then how come Bella knows?" He looked at me and Paul and our hands entwined "Is it because you'll are dating?"

"No Charlie. Only the elders, parents and imprints can know" said Billy

"What is an imprint?"

"It is the wolf's way of finding his mate. It is like a blind man seeing sun for the first time and once the shape shifter sees in the eyes of his imprint his world becomes tethered to hers and he will be whatever she wants him to be. It is the spirits doing" said Billy

"And Paul imprinted on Bella? But she is not Quileute"

"Yes he imprinted on her and her not being native does not matter as the spirits felt that she was the one for Paul" said Billy

"Paul" said Charlie looking at him "I know that you are an indestructible shape shifter but if you hurt my daughter I will find a way to kill you and then bury your body without anyone noticing"

Paul gulped "Sir, Bella is my life and I love her. I would rather die than hurt her"

I squeezed Paul's hand tighter. This was the first time that he had admitted that he loves me and admitting this in front of my family made it extra special in my eyes.

"I love you too" I whispered to him and he kissed my forehead lightly keeping in mind our audience

"Paul, you can still call me Charlie. You are a good person and are trying to improve on your anger. She will always be my little girl and I will always be concerned for her"

Paul nodded his head

"Mom, please say something" said Embry noticing that Tiffany had not said a word in the entire conversation

"I don't know what to say Embry"

"Are you angry with me?"

"Of course not Embry, how can you even think something like this? On the contrary, I am proud of you that you are responsible enough to look after others who have no idea of the supernatural world. But I am upset that you think so low of me, that you thought that I would see you as a monster. You are my son Embry. I love you and will always love you"

Embry nodded his head and with a few tears in his eyes hugged Tiffany.

"So I am assuming both you and Paul get the gene from Adam Lahote?

"Yes he is a descendant of Levi Uley. Only three people have the power to pass on the gene Ephraim Black, Levi Uley and Quil Ateara the second" said Embry

"So even Quil the fifth will phase eventually?" asked Tiffany

"Yes just like Jake and Sam. He is a direct descendent" said Embry

"What are we going to tell everyone else and my deputies at the station? Where was Embry when he supposedly ran away?" asked Charlie taking his head in his hands "There are going to be a lot of questions and what about your school and classmates?"

"There will be a lot of rumors when Embry turns up all bulked up and almost a foot taller than before in just a week's absence" I said

"Everyone in school already thinks we are on steroids so Embry join the club" said Paul

"And about school, Embry won't be going to school for a week as new shape shifters are volatile and we will need to find an excuse to tell everyone" said Sam

"Tiffany, do you have any estranged cousin in the state where Embry could have reached without a problem?" I asked

She was quiet for a few minutes "My father's sister's daughter. She lives in the outskirts of Seattle and I have not met her in years but Seattle is close enough for Embry to escape and huge enough for him to not be found"

"We can use that excuse. Embry had a fight with Tiffany and ran away to Seattle to her cousin's place and after a week of convincing by her cousin, came back home" said Charlie

"Okay so now that this is settled, let's get back to work. Embry you're on for patrolling. Paul you will free him in two hours" said Sam getting up from the couch "Billy I will drop you home"

Billy nodded his head and followed Sam and Embry out.

"Charlie can I talk to you?" asked Paul

"Sure let's go outside"

Paul and Charlie went outside the house while I waited in with Tiffany.

"So what are they like in wolf form?" asked Tiffany

"They are huge almost the size of horses. Sam is black in color, Jared is brown, Paul is silver and Embry is grey with spots. They are fast and strong. They heal really fast and don't age till they phase"

"So are you saying that these boys are immortal?"

"Yes till they keep phasing they will look the same age"

"Wow and what about vampires? Are they also immortal?"

"Yes. They too don't age"

"No wonder the Cullen's look like they own the fountain of youth. And the beauty is that also a part of Vampirism?"

"Yes, they are made in such a way that they can allure their prey in"

"Wow I am glad I live in La Push and not Forks and even though my shop is in Forks they hardly visit the main market"

"Me too Tiff" I said agreeing with her

"Bella, can we go for a walk?" asked Paul coming in the house again

"Sure, all okay?" I looked from him to Charlie

"Yes Kiddo all good" replied Charlie

I nodded my head and followed Paul out. We silently walked towards second beach.

"So what was that about?" I asked him

"Bella, I was talking to Charlie about our future"

"Paul I…"

"Let me finish Bella. I know we are only seventeen but I was thinking about our life after the next five or say ten years. I asked Charlie, how I could join the Police Force"

I looked at him stunned "Is this something you want to do?"

He nodded his head "Suits me and I could use my aggression in a good manner. And even though we have more than a year left till graduation, I want to be sure of my options. I know in this field we won't have much to boast about but my salary will be enough for us to live a decent life"

"So what did Charlie say?"

"He said that he is proud of me and I will be an asset to his team with my heightened senses. After graduation I will have to take a few tests and if I pass I will be given training accordingly"

"Wow Officer Paul Lahote" I said with a smile

"Yup that's the plan" he gave me a grin

"I am working with the Tribal council as of now and I see myself working there in the future too. But that is more of part time job. After my graduation, Em and I were thinking of doing a few culinary courses in Port Angeles after which we can open our own bakery here in La Push"

"What work do you for the council?"

"Pack related mainly. I read the last pack's manuscripts and will be recording this pack's details too. In fact I am thinking of conducting Sam's interview soon and filling in the data"

"Paul nodded his head

"Sam and Jared are still thinking about their construction Business?" I asked

"Yes. They plan to open it soon as partners"

"That's good. I am glad Charlie knows the truth now. We don't have to lie to him anymore" I said resting my head on his shoulder

"Me too and he understands our relationship better"

Paul and I spent some more time at the beach before he dropped me back home. The next week passed by comfortably. As there were less vampire sightings Patrols were also less in comparison. Jared and Paul came back to school and so did Embry. Just like the principal had said, Paul's behavior was being monitored and so either Jared or I were always around Paul to calm him down if he got angry. Rumors had started in the school that Paul and Embry had joined Sam and Jared in their drug induced gang and Kim and I were at the receiving ends of many dirty glares from the girls who had a crush on Jared and Paul. Even though Kim and Jared were not officially dating, they were always together, in school as well as outside. Another change that shocked the entire school was that Embry was no longer sitting with Jake and Quil for lunch. He sat with us four. Even though there was no alpha order on him to stay away from his friends their friendship was going through a strained period.

On the other hand Embry was now adjusting perfectly in the pack. His relationship with Paul had also considerably improved even though he hated to listen to Paul's thoughts on me specifically. As he put it no brother wants to see someone thinking about his sister in that way. I also realized how terrible it must have been for Seth to not only listen to other teenagers thinking about his sister but also be in the head of the said sister and it must have been even worse for Leah, to be the only girl in the head of nine teenagers. Thankfully she was not phasing this time around.

Today was Sunday and we were all at the beach spending some time together. Tonight was also the official welcoming bonfire of Embry and Kim in the pack. The elders were going to be joining us in a few hours and as it was a sunny day we decided to go ahead and take advantage of this rare weather.

Emily, Kim and I were currently sunbathing on first beach. The boys were all roughhousing at a distance.

"We should have a movie night" said Emily

I looked up from the book I was reading "That's a good idea"

"Great when?" asked Kim

"How about Tuesday?" asked Emily

Kim and I both nodded our heads

"Oh did I tell you'll, Sam and I are throwing a house warming party next weekend before I officially move in on next Monday" said Emily

"Are you done with the renovations?" I asked her

"Yes and I have started moving in my stuff. Now it finally looks like a home instead of a bachelor pad"

The boys came running in our direction at that moment. Sam went straight to Emily kissing her on the cheek, Jared wrapped his arms around Kim and Paul came and sat next to me pulling me in his lap.

"Great make the single guy even more jealous" said Embry coming and standing opposite us

"Do you want to imprint Embry?" asked Kim

"Honestly I don't know" he said after a few minutes "Sometimes I feel it would be good to have someone in your life but the other times I feel like why hurry up, I just turned sixteen in January. I want to have a few more experiences before I get tied down"

"Embry you know about what happen between me, Leah and Emily right?" asked Sam

Even though Leah was now okay with Sam and Emily's relationship and was doing well for herself in college, the three of them had gone through a very rocky period in the beginning.

"Yes I know. No getting into serious relationships. I don't want someone to end up with a broken heart when I imprint" said Embry

"What if he doesn't imprint ever?" said Jared

"It is a possibility after all I was told imprinting was rare when I first phased" said Sam

"Rare my ass, out of a pack of four three have imprinted" said Paul

"Bella can you look into the old manuscripts and see if there is anything written on this?" asked Embry

I nodded my head

"Great let's go cliff diving" said Jared pulling a giggling Kim with him

The rest of us followed taking turns jumping into the ice cold water. Generally the boys jumped from the higher cliff but because we were with them today they chose the lower ones.

After spending some time splashing, swimming and playing around in the water we returned to the shore.

The sun was about to set and Sam and Emily left to go back to his place to get the food for tonight while Embry left to run a quick patrol.

I was sitting on the mat with Paul, Jared and Kim when I heard a voice

"Bella, can I talk to you"

I turned back to look at Jake standing there with a scowl on his face

"Yeah sure" I replied following him

He stopped after walking for a few minutes far away from hearing distance even for Paul and Jared

"What have your boyfriend and his other druggie friends done to Embry?"

"They have not done anything Jake. You need to calm down"

"Ya right. Ever since he returned from his running away stint he is different and shakes like he is having a seizure if you ask him about it"

"Jake he will tell you when he feels like it"

"I thought we were friends Bella. Tell me why he roams around with Sam Uley and his cult" he shouted

"Jake I can't tell you anything but you will soon know the truth"

"Don't give me this cryptic shit. Tell your boyfriend to stop giving him drugs and stay out of his life"

"Paul is Embry's brother. Can't they spend some time together?"

"Like they used to spend time together before this? I know Sam is trying to get Embry in his cult and I also see the way he looks at me, like I am next or something. Tell that entire group to stay away from me and Quil. I have lost Embry I won't lose him too" he shouted before leaving me standing there

I stayed over there for a while thinking over my thoughts. I wish I could tell Jake the truth but he was still far from phasing. Paul came over and wrapped his arms around me.

"You okay?" he asked

I nodded my head "I need to talk to Embry"

He pulled me closer to him and we just stayed there in silence for some more time.

Sam and Emily soon returned with Billy and the food. Jared set up the fire and Harry and Old Quil soon arrived. I took my place and went to where Embry was standing.

"Hey" I said

"Hey"

"What is going on between you and Jake and Quil?"

He sighed loudly "They don't understand. I can't tell them the truth and they keep asking me questions to which I have no answer so I am keeping my distance from them"

"But Embry"

"Leave it Bella. I have no choice. I miss them but they will soon join me. Both of them are destined to be a part of this world and will soon know the truth"

I nodded my head

"Come let's go and listen to the legends" he said

After the bonfire Jake avoided me even in school. We had our movie night on Tuesday and Embry dropped out saying that he did not want to be around only couples and would rather catch up on his sleep. We saw Harry Potter and the goblet of fire and ordered Pizza's for dinner staying awake till the wee hours in the morning.

On Wednesday after school Kim asked me to come with her to Forks. She was cooking for Jared the next day and wanted to buy ingredients from the supermarket in Forks. We sat in my truck and drove to Forks telling Jared and Paul that we would see them later.

I was picking out milk when I heard Kim apologizing to someone for accidently bumping into them

"No problem" said a familiar voice that I recognized

I looked up to see Esme Cullen standing there with a cart filled with food items

Kim took a step back in fear when she noticed the golden eyes

"Kim let's go" I said taking her hand

We quickly billed our purchases and walked out of the supermarket. I could see Esme and Edward standing at a distance loading their purchases in Edward's Volvo.

Suddenly wind blew in my direction making my hair fly. I turned back to look at Edward and saw that his eyes had turned black. He was now staring at me like he wanted to drain me on spot. I could see that he was controlling his breathing and Esme was holding his hand tightly.

All this while I had been careful of not letting Edward know that I am his singer but now he knew.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thank you YankeeGirlNJ, Taylor9901, Arwengeld, Valerie, MammaNita4, .7334, Beuty6, debb lavoie, sarae32, Naenae232, brankel1 for your reviews.

A/N: Hey Guys, I wanted your opinion. Do you'll want Leah to be an imprint or not? (Irrespective she will not phase) And what about Claire, Should Quil still imprint on her or on an OC? I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you and keep reading.

Chapter 20-

Suddenly wind blew in my direction making my hair fly. I turned back to look at Edward and saw that his eyes had turned black. He was now staring at me like he wanted to drain me on spot. I could see that he was controlling his breathing and Esme was holding his hand tightly.

All this while I had been careful of not letting Edward know that I am his singer but now he knew.

I don't know how long we kept staring at one another. It could be seconds or even minutes. His coal- black eyes were menacingly glaring at me. I could see Esme tightly gripping onto Edward's hand to stop him if he could not control himself but I also knew that this was not enough to stop him if he decided to give into his urges and drain his singer.

The sane part of me was arguing that I should run back to the res before Edward takes a step in my direction and should take protection of the pack but my feet were frozen, not complying with my decision of moving out of here.

"Bella you okay?" whispered Kim "You look pale. You are starting to freak me out"

In all this mess I had forgotten that Kim was here with me.

I slightly nodded my head "Let's get out of here" I managed to say without my voice faltering, showing how terrified I was.

She nodded her head and we walked towards my truck. I handed her my keys telling her to drive. I was too rattled at the moment to operate a vehicle without landing us both in the hospital.

She started the truck and we took off towards the reservation. Every few seconds my eyes would land at the rear view mirror half expecting a Volvo following us. But to my pleasant surprise there would be no Volvo following us. Maybe Alice had seen Edward's plight and had arrived to stop him and take him home. I could only hope that that was true.

I had never been this frightened of Edward. Even in the first biology class when I had sat next to him he had upset me and sort of scared me by his behavior but not to this extent. I had not even been this fearful of James in that studio on that wretched day.

Today the Edward I had seen at the supermarket was a predator after his prey which was unfortunately me. I suddenly remembered all those tales I had heard from his family about being a singer. La tua Cantante as Aro had called me. A vampire's singer never survived and for once I was absolutely terrified for my life. I had been a fool when I had fallen for Edward when I first moved here. I had knowingly threatened my life over and over again by staying with him. Yes he had exceptional control but at the end of the day my blood still called to him and his vampire side would love to drain me dry.

When my truck passed the border I breathe a sigh in relief. I was safe atleast for now.

After a few more turns, Kim parked my truck outside Sam's house where everyone would be gathered at this moment. I ran inside even before she had hit the brake into Paul's arms as he was sitting on the couch talking to the others. I needed his warm arms around me to feel safe and secure.

"Swan what is wrong?" he asked me as he pulled me closer to him. I hid my face in his chest and tried to calm myself to the beating of his heart. I was alive. I was safe. I kept repeating this to myself.

"Kim what happen? Are you'll okay?" asked Jared running to her as she entered the house

"The Cullen's were at the supermarket. Two of them and the male one kept staring at Bella like she was his next meal" said Kim and I heard multiple growls around me. I could feel Paul's body begin to shake and put my hand on his arm to calm him.

"Did he attack you'll?" asked Sam sitting up straight on the couch

Kim shook her head "The female one stopped him. We ran out of there as fast as we could"

"Good" said Sam "We will keep an eye on him. You'll don't leave the reservation for a few days. If he crosses a line over the border we will end him"

"But aren't they vegetarians then why such a reaction to Bella? Shouldn't they have better control over themselves? They go to a school filled with humans after all" asked Emily

It was now or never. I had an opening and I had to tell them the entire truth before they went out there to fight Edward, if they chose to support me after hearing my story.

"I need to tell you'll something" I whispered and six faces stared at me waiting for me to say what I was going to say. I got out of Paul's arms and sat on a chair facing the others. I had to be strong.

"Before I start Sam I would appreciate if you would Alpha order Paul, Jared and Embry to never think about this conversation in their wolf form after I finish speaking. You can guard your thoughts being the Alpha. Edward is a mind reader and I don't want this conversation to reach him"

He nodded his head

I took a deep breath "Over the months you'll all have often asked me how I had knowledge of things I should have had no knowledge of. I guess it is time for me to tell you'll how I know all these things. How I knew Sam was a shape shifter or the Cullen's were Vampires or how I know who will phase next"

Paul was about to say something when I stopped him "Please don't interrupt. Let me finish. I am going to tell you'll the entire story right now. Please understand one thing that I was a very different person at that time and I do regret most of my decisions."

"Paul" I looked at him "I love you and I won't be able to bear it if you hate me"

"I can never hate you Bella. You are scaring me by telling me all this. It is okay if you don't tell us how you know stuff. We understand" said Paul

I shook my head "It is time and remember you had said no secrets"

"Bella, do you want us both to be here? If you want to only tell the pack we will leave" said Emily pointing towards herself and Kim

"No Em, You'll both are my friends and you'll need to know this too"

They nodded their heads

I took another deep breath and rubbed the nonexistent bite mark on my wrist "Okay so please don't interrupt me till I finish. Just like shape shifters and vampires are real, time-traveling is possible too. I am a live example of it. I moved to Forks to live with Charlie almost two years back. I was a very different person back then. Even though I had raised my mother by myself, I was a child in more ways than one. I was naive and lived in the world of fairytales. It would be fair to say, I had a distorted view of reality. I hardly spoke to Charlie despite of living in the same house and in short it was a very different world in which I graduated from Forks high. Tiffany and Charlie were not together and the only people who could be considered my friends in La Push were Jake and Emily and to be honest I treated them very badly"

I told them about my first day in school, seeing the Cullen's at lunch and immediately noticing how different they were. Sitting next to Edward in Biology and his painful expression. His fleeing away to Alaska for a week. Tyler's van almost crushing me and Edward saving me. The Port Angeles incident and how Edward had saved me again making me look at him like he was a quintessential hero I had read about in novels.

Meeting Jake at the beach and him telling me the legends. Correlating them and reaching the conclusion that the Cullen's were vampires. Confronting Edward and our first date. Meeting the other Cullen's and the baseball game where the nomads arrived. Running away with Jasper and Alice and James catching me and biting me. Edward sucking the venom out and Jasper and Emmett killing James.

My eighteenth birthday party and the paper cut, followed by them leaving Forks. Sam finding me in the woods dying of hypothermia and my subsequent depression. Jake bringing me out of it and getting slightly better only to lose him again when he phased. My hike in the woods and the pack killing Laurent. Confronting Sam and slapping Paul only for him to imprint on me. Meeting Emily and spending time with Jake. Leah and Seth phasing, Harry's heart attack and jumping off the cliff. Going to Italy to rescue Edward from the Vampire royalty and the Cullen's coming back to Forks.

Edward stopping me from going to La Push. My friendship with Jake getting affected. Victoria forming a new born army and the pack forming an alliance with the Cullen's. The newborn battle and Jake getting injured. Edward proposing and my saying yes. Jake running away to Canada hurt.

The day of my marriage and Emily and Jared coming to meet me. How they told me that Paul had imprinted on me and gave me Old Quil's magical potion to time travel back to the past. How I came back one and a half year in the past and all that I had done since then. Making the wrong's right.

"So now you'll know the entire truth" I said as I finished. I had not looked up the entire time. I did not want to see the hatred on their faces.

"Paul" I heard Jared shout as an angry Paul stormed out of the house tearing his clothes and phasing right outside the house.

I fell to the ground and started crying taking my head in my hands. I knew this was going to happen when he found out the truth.

"Shh it's okay" cooed Emily as she hugged me

"Don't worry I will talk to him" said Sam giving me a quick hug before leaving

"So that ex boyfriend you told me about was Edward Cullen?" said Kim coming and sitting next to me holding my hand

I nodded my head. Embry came and sat on my other side taking my other hand, silently giving me his support.

"Hey I will talk to him. You are and will always be a wolf girl okay" said Jared

"Don't you'll hate me for being in love with a vampire? Paul always used to call me leech lover"

"We all make mistakes Bella. You were a kid and were dazzled by him" said Emily

"And you know Paul better than anyone else. He uses name calling as a reflex to save himself from being hurt" said Jared

"You know Jared you were the one to tell me that Paul loves me and Edward was never my mate"

"Paul loves you even today Bella. He just needs some time. And the leech was never your mate to begin with"

I nodded my head

Paul just needs some time and I can give him that.

Two days, forty eight hours, 2880 minutes and 1,72,800 seconds and Paul had still not come back.

I had decided that Charlie and Tiffany should know the truth too and had repeated everything in front of them. Charlie had been shocked and angry to know that I had dated a vampire and had risked my life over and over again. He could not believe that I was going to marry him and become like him leaving my family behind. If Paul's anger had hurt me, Charlie's silent approach had almost killed me. He had not shouted at me again after that once but had stopped talking to me. Tiffany had told me that it was hard for him to hear that his only daughter was going to be dead in his eyes and needed time to take this all in.

Sam had told me that he had alpha ordered the others and the new wolves would never know of this. Also Kim and Emily were never going to talk about this. I had told Embry that if he wanted he could tell his imprint when she came but he refused saying that, that Bella was very different from me and there was no need for his imprint to know of a version of me that does not exist.

I had gone to school as usual, acting like nothing was wrong. Neither Jared nor Paul had come to school and whenever I asked, Embry refused to give me an answer on Paul's whereabouts. Just like I had been told I had not left the reservation. Edward had once told me that Charlie's mind was hard to read and so I hoped that if Edward was stalking Charlie he would not be able to read his mind.

Today was Saturday and I had been holed up in this house since morning. I had no energy to go out or talk to anyone cutting Emily's calls when she called. Embry had been gone from last night and Tiffany and Charlie were out.

"Bella you there" said Kim coming into the house, Emily following her

They came and sat opposite me when they saw me sitting on the couch staring at the blank TV screen.

"Bella everything is going to be okay. Don't look so forlorn" said Emily

"Yes, how about we make cupcakes? Emily you were going to show us how to make your special chocolate chip cupcakes" said Kim

"Yes come on. Let's go to the kitchen" said Emily pulling my hand

They forced me to make cupcakes with them but by the time we put the tray for baking I was actually smiling and laughing at the funny stories Kim told us about her younger brothers. They were little troublemakers who kept her parents on their toes.

"Thank you so much Em and Kim. I feel much better"

"No problem Bella and trust me Paul will be back once this Cullen problem is solved" said Kim

"Kim" shouted Emily hitting her hand on her forehead

"Shit sorry" said Kim sheepishly

"What Cullen problem?" I asked. Till I knew Edward had not attacked me or made any move to do so.

"Bella we were not supposed to tell you this" said Emily shaking her head

"Tell me what happen"

Emily sighed loudly "Edward Cullen has been roaming the treaty line since yesterday morning. He does not cross the treaty line so the boys cannot take any action. He keeps scowling at them, telling them to return his 'mate' to him."

"What Bullshit!" I exclaimed

"And so the boys are constantly on Patrol" said Kim

"But I am not his mate"

"Yeah they tried telling him that. Paul almost crossed the border to kill him but one of his brothers, the big one pushed him back" said Emily

"His family is supporting him" added Kim

"I need to talk to Sam. Edward will not leave easily. I need to get this in Edward's thick head that I am not his mate"

"But Bella" said Emily

"Emily, Edward is stubborn. I don't want him to start planning and plotting and find ways of kidnapping me. I have to end this before it goes that far."

"Okay I will call Sam"

A few hours later Sam arrived at my doorstep.

"Bella I can't let you go in front of him. He is dangerous at the moment. This is not like before where we knew it was a pretend play"

"I know Sam and I just want to talk to him and make him understand. I will stay far behind the treaty line next to you'll"

"Paul will kill me for this" he said sighing

"How is he?"

"Not good. Confused and Upset. Luckily his thoughts are protected when he thinks about what you said. Even we cannot hear it in our mind so I am sure even Edward cannot hear it."

I nodded my head "Please Sam. I need to do this. This madness has to end today"

He was quiet for a few minutes. "Fine, come on"

I followed him out. He quickly phased and I sat on his back. It was nighttime and the moon shone over us. It was raining heavily almost as if a storm was soon arriving. I clutched my hood over my head to avoid getting wet but it was a failed effort. I was drenched by the time we reached the treaty line.

I could see Paul, Jared and Embry at a distance and all of the Cullen's on the other side of the treaty line in a crouched like position.

Paul started growling loudly as soon as I got off Sam's back.

"Paul please I am here to end this madness so that all of us can go home"

"You are wrong mutt. She is not your mate. She is mine" growled Edward

"You are the one who is wrong Edward. I am not your mate" I said looking at him

"Isabella my love, this mutt has brainwashed you. You and I belong together. We will be so happy together"

"Edward, I am not your love. I do not belong with you and I don't want to. I am already where I belong with my family and Paul"

"But love, Alice has seen us together. You will make a beautiful newborn. We will live wherever you want in the world"

"Yes Bella. You'll make such a cute couple" said Alice

I looked at the faces of the other Cullen's. Esme looked hopeful, Alice looked excited, Rosalie looked bored, Jasper looked indifferent, Emmett looked playful and Carlisle looked concerned.

"For the last time Edward I am not your mate"

"But Isabella" he chided like he was talking to a toddler who had been naughty

"It is Bella, Edward. A. Get this in your thick head that you are not my mate and I don't want you" I shouted

"Isabella, stop this nonsense. Let's go home love"

I sighed loudly to stop myself from banging my head in the nearest tree "Okay fine let's think rationally. Can you tell me why you think I am your mate?"

"Your blood calls me to you and your scent drives me insane. Also I can't read your mind"

"That is because I am your singer Edward" I shouted "And I am a shield. Your power does not work on me because of that"

"No Isabella. You are mistaken" he said

"Okay Edward. I will give you proof that I am not your mate" I said "Emmett and Rosalie you'll are mates right?"

They nodded their heads

"Emmett can you stay months without Rosalie or would the pull be too painful to bear?"

He shook his head "I can't stay away from her for more than two days. Even if we go hunting separately we come back to one another before the forty eight hours end or my chest starts paining"

"Thank you Emmett. That is your answer Edward. I moved to Forks three months back. How did you survive without me if I was your mate?"

"But love, you are human still"

"Okay fine. Carlisle you met Esme when she was human right?"

He nodded his head

"When she was human, if she got hurt could you feel it?"

"Yes. Whenever she was hurt I could feel it. That is how I knew she jumped off a cliff"

"Thank you Carlisle. I tripped down the stairs this morning Edward. Did you feel it?"

He shook his Edward and opened his mouth to say something else but I raised my hand up to stop him.

"Jasper, you are an empath right?"

He nodded his head

"Tell everyone what my feelings are for the silver wolf"

"You love him unconditionally and it is exceptionally pure. You are proud of him and admire his strength"

"Thank you Jasper. Can you tell everyone what I feel for Edward?"

"Frustration, annoyance, disdain and mild hatred"

"Thank you Jasper. I have one last question. When you met Alice in the diner for the first time and she introduced herself as your mate. Did you feel any of this towards her?"

He shook his head

"There you go Edward I am not your mate. Your mate would not have such feelings towards you"

"But love. I have waited more than a century for you"

"Edward, I know who your mate is and you know her too. You are just too blind to see her"

"Who is she?" he whispered

"Tanya Denali"

I heard gasps from the Cullen Coven.

"That can't be true. She is succubus" he said

"So? That doesn't change anything. Edward her feelings for you are very genuine and I think it is high time you take a hard look at your views and give her a chance"

"But…"

"Edward, do me a favor. Just make the decision of being with Tanya and Alice see his future"

Alice closed her eyes and so did Edward

"What did you see Edward?" I asked him

"I was happy. We lived in Alaska and had gotten married"

Esme looked like she would be crying if she could. Alice looked excited and even Rosalie for a change looked happy.

"Rose can you imagine Virgin Eddie with a succubus" said Emmett laughing and Rosalie chided him to stop talking

"That is your answer Edward. Now it is your choice, do you want a mate who you will be happy with or do you want a woman who has absolutely no romantic feelings towards you"

"I need to go to Alaska" he said before running off

"Thank you Bella" said Esme

"No problem. Carlisle I actually have a request to make to you"

"Yes tell me"

"With you'll moving to Forks the shape shifter gene got activated in a bunch of teenagers who were forced to mature prematurely and be a part of a world they were not supposed to be of in the first place. If you'll stay children as young as thirteen will go through this change and fight vampires instead of going to school"

"Oh Carlisle" said Esme "They are kids"

"I am sorry Bella we had no idea about this. I will talk to your tribal chief and end the treaty. We will leave and never return."

"Thank you so much Carlisle"

"Bella if you or the tribe ever needs our help, your tribal chief will have our number. You can give us a call" said Emmett

I nodded my head

"You can also call Peter. To be honest he was pretty fascinated by you" said Jasper making me laugh

"Thank you Jasper. I will remember that"

The Cullen's bid us bye before disappearing in the woods.

"You okay?" asked Sam coming near to where I was standing

I nodded my head. Suddenly I was picked up by a now human Paul who started walking.

"Paul put me down"

He shook his head "Close your eyes"

I closed my eyes and he started running making me feel like I was flying. He ran for a few minutes before he stopped outside his house and unlocked it taking me in with him.

"Paul"

Before I could say anything his lips were on mine passionately kissing me and his tongue demanded entrance that I readily gave. I wrapped my arms around him as he kept kissing me.

"You are mine" he growled "Not the bloodsuckers"

"Yes I am yours"

"Bella I wanted our first time to be special with candles and light music but I can't wait. I want you I need you"

"Take me. I want this as much as you"

"Are you sure?"

I nodded my head

"Can I mark you? It is my wolf. He needs to claim you and be sure that you are ours"

"What is marking?"

"During intercourse I will bite you on the neck infusing my scent with yours so every supernatural creature will know that you belong to me. Also I will be able to feel your emotions and will know if you are in trouble"

I nodded my head "Mark me"

"I love you" he said

"I love you too"

He picked me up lightly in his arms as he walked towards his room.


	21. Chapter 21

Thank you Taylor9901, dannyband, YankeeGirlNJ, hstevens08161, Naenae232, .7334, Beuty6,sarae32, catgrl, MammaNita4, the newest daughter for your reviews and kind words.

A/N: After reading the reviews I have decided that Quil will not be paired opposite Claire. Though he will imprint on her it will be an unusual imprinting and in the end he will be with an OC. How that will work out will be mentioned in the coming chapters. Thank you and keep reading.

Chapter 21-

The rays of the sun filtered through the open window illuminating the entire room. I gazed down at man lying next to me lightly snoring in his sleep, his arm wrapped around my torso tightly as if I would disappear if he let go. I touched the new crescent shape mark on my neck. It was warmer than the rest of my body, running at the same temperature as Paul. This mark was a proof of our love and of last night. Memories of last night entered my mind making me smile. Paul repeating mine, as he entered me making me complete for possibly the first time in my life.

I quickly gave him a peck on the lips before getting down from the bed and going to the kitchen. If I knew my wolf he would be terribly hungry when he woke up. I did not bother wearing pants instead chose to just wear Paul's huge shirt. This was all a new experience to me. Sleeping next to Paul, waking up in his bed and cooking for him in his house. I knew we were not quite there yet in our relationship but I couldn't wait for that part of life when we lived together.

I walked into the kitchen and opened his fridge not surprised when I found it almost empty. I would have to go grocery shopping sooner rather than later. I quickly made omelettes from the eggs I found and made us both steaming hot cups of coffee. I was just setting the table when I felt arms wrap around me.

"Good morning" he said giving me a chaste kiss

"Good morning. Slept well?"

"You left the bed" he pouted

"I was making breakfast. See" I pointed towards our plates

"Oh yeah, smells good" he said before sitting on the chair and wolfing down food "I did not know I was this hungry"

"I guessed you would be. Do you want me to make you anything else?"

"Nah I am good. You sore?" he asked

I shook my head "I am fine"

He pulled me in his lap and I started eating from his plate quickly devouring the remaining food.

"By the way have I told you, you look good in my clothes" he said smirking

"I know and I also like this shirt. I am so keeping it"

He playfully growled "Keep saying such things and you won't be leaving this house for a long time little kitten"

"That's the plan Pauly" I giggled as he tickled me picking me up and taking me back in the room.

After another intense love making session the both of us were cuddling on the couch talking when the ringing of the doorbell disrupted us.

Paul went to open the door while I stayed in the living room from where I could hear everything said.

"Yes Sam. How can I help you?"

"Good to see that the both of you'll are alive"

"No need to be sarcastic. Tell me what you want?" Paul growled

"You missed Patrol and Charlie was looking for Bella. Embry told him that she was staying over at Kim's but he expects her home soon. It is almost 4, Paul"

"Shit. We did not realize the time" "I will drop her home in half an hour"

"Yes and please both of you'll take a shower. You'll reek of sex"

"We do, don't we?" said Paul and even though I could not see his face I knew he was smirking

"I am going to go now. I will see you later and you are doing double patrol as a punishment" said Sam before I heard the main door closing.

"Time to go?" I asked him and he nodded his head

"You take a shower. Meanwhile I will find you something to wear. The clothes you wore yesterday are a lost cause. I think I have something pre-phase that will fit you"

I nodded my head and walked towards his bathroom while he went to search clothes for me. Twenty minutes later I was dressed in a pair of track pants and a lose t-shirt.

"Give me five minutes. I will quickly shower and then drop you before I go to meet Sam"

I nodded my head and waited for him on the couch. I had left my truck at home yesterday, travelling to the border on Sam's back so we took his bike. He dropped me home telling me that he would call me after Patrol and I walked into the house to see Charlie, Tiffany and Embry sitting in the living room watching TV.

"Hey Bella" said Tiffany "How was your sleepover?"

"It was good. We saw a movie"

"Bells can we talk?" asked Charlie

I nodded my head and followed him to his room

"Bella you told me that you risked your life for your mother and me when that James was tracking you?"

"Yeah dad"

"Never do that again if a similar situation ever arises. Neither your mother nor I will be able to forgive ourselves if you get hurt because of us. And I don't completely understand your reasoning of choosing to become a vampire but I am glad that, that is never going to be true now. I will take it as a bad dream and move on"

"Thanks dad"

"No problem Kiddo. Let's go back and watch the game"

I watched the game for some more time before retiring to my room.

"Hey can I come in?" asked Tiffany slightly opening my door

"Sure"

"So how was the sleepover?"

"I told you. It was good. We saw a movie"

"Really Bella, you expect me to believe that you stayed the night at Kim's. I was seventeen once too, remember"

I coughed "I don't know what you are talking about"

"Were you and Paul safe?"

"Tiff" I shouted horrified and checked the door to see whether it was shut. Luckily it was.

"What? I asked a simple question. I am too young to be a grandmother you know"

I covered my face with my hands "We used a condom and I am also on the shot. Renee forced me on it when I turned fifteen. She was scared I would turn out just like she had been"

"That's good. If you need any help, I can take you to my gynecologist. She is very good"

"Thanks Tiff"

"You know I have to constantly be on the pill. Charlie does not like to use condoms"

"Tiffany" I groaned "Too much information. He is my father. I have been scarred enough living with Renee. I don't need more of it. You know she used to give me descriptions of her bedroom activities in detail"

She laughed "Yeah Renee was a nutcase"

I could do nothing more but nod my head.

The next day after school Paul and I were summoned in front of the council. I was now a marked imprint and the council wanted a few answers from us on the subject. I was the first marked imprint of this generation as even Emily had not been marked yet. From reading the old journals I knew that even in the old pack only Quil the second had marked his imprint as the other two had not.

We were asked general questions such as how I felt when he marked me, did it pain, how it felt when it was touched etc. As the council barely had any information on this topic we were asked to tell them all that we could. Sam, Jared and Embry all three confirmed that my scent was now mixed with Paul's and their wolves were as loyal to me as they were to their pack, even more than to normal imprints. Another thing which we found out from Quil the second's journal was that marking affected the imprint's aging too. Unlike Paul, I would not stop aging but it would go at a slower rate than usual.

After listening to all this Emily had also decided to get marked by Sam. Kim was still not sure if she wanted to be marked in the future. Honestly I still felt that she was scared of Jared's wolf form and for the process of marking to be completed the wolf side would have to be in power. Whether to be marked or not was the woman's choice and Ephraim Black's imprint and Levi Uley's imprint had refused to be marked in the previous pack so even Kim had the option if she chose it.

The next few days passed by in a blur. Billy received a call from the Carlisle requesting for a meeting and after a meeting with Sam and the elders the Cullen's left town scraping the treaty forever. They could never return to the Olympic peninsula in their long existence securing the future of our next generation's. The last pack had phased due to the Cullen's and so had this pack but the future generations would not be subjected to this.

A celebratory bonfire was held on First beach and even though most people were not aware that the legends were true and the Cullen's were actual vampires they turned up to celebrate their leaving. It was a celebration like I had never seen before with fireworks and a buffet of various kinds of foods. Automatically my mind drifted to the last time the Cullen's had left Forks but this time the situation was very different. This time they were not leaving a vulnerable human behind exposed to the knowledge of their world. This time I had my family and Edward had his and both of us were happy about it. Carlisle had told Sam before leaving that Edward was now living with Tanya and the other Denali's including Laurent and had given her a chance. The other Cullen's were also joining them there and were going to live with them for a few years.

As they had told me Jasper and Emmett had given their loyalty to the pack with the promise of helping if the pack ever needed any help. Billy and Sam were given their phone numbers and other basic contact information which would work even after decades from now.

The day after the bonfire Paul and I also had a well needed talk and decided to forget about the past and live in the present. The fact was that the both of us were happy currently in our lives and there was no place for such insecurities. Paul was worried that the only reason that I drank the potion and agreed to know him was because I pitied him but I assured him that, that was not true and my feelings for him even in the beginning were not based on pity. I genuinely liked him once I got to know him.

Today was Sunday and the day of Sam and Emily's housewarming party. Emily's family was coming down from Makah and only a few selected people had been invited apart from them namely the Pack and the Clearwater's. After Sam had phased he had not been able to keep any close friends and mostly all of his friends were now in college or settled somewhere else.

Kim and I helped Emily in decorating the entire house and preparing a lavish dinner for the guests. Emily was extra nervous and tense and told us how her mother was a very difficult woman to live with and was extremely judgmental about even the smallest things and so her older sister had always rebelled against her and how she was an irresponsible spoilt brat in comparison to Emily.

Just as we were putting the finishing touches the doorbell rang and Emily ran to open it. The boys were all watching a movie in the living area on the new TV which Sam had bought. With the Cullen's leaving, Patrols were bare minimum now and only once a day one of them would take a round to check on the area.

"Hello Mother and Father" said Emily opening the door

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Young" said Sam standing behind her

"Hello Emily, Sam" said Emily's father giving a tight smile

Her mother just nodded her head as they entered the house.

"Please don't put your feet on the centre table" scowled her mother looking at Embry who quickly put his feet down

"So mother, do you like the house?" asked Emily crossing her fingers

"Hmm, it is different" said her mother and I could see that even a non violent person like Kim wanted to box her in the face right now after looking at Emily's crushed expression. Sam quickly wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her arm.

"So where is Hannah?" asked Sam. Hannah was Emily's elder sister.

"She is following in her car. Claire was a pain this morning. Kept crying"

"She turned one right?" asked Sam

"A few weeks back" said her father with a genuine smile and I could see that unlike his wife atleast he cared about his granddaughter.

"Mother Father, these are our friends, Jared, Paul, Embry, Bella and Kim" Emily said pointing at us

"Hello I am Kevin Young and this is my wife Evangeline"

Her mother just nodded her head. The next half an hour was spent with Evangeline criticizing the smallest things in this house while Kevin spoke to Sam for a bit. I was actually glad when the Clearwater's arrived and Evangeline started talking to Sue putting a stop to her comments on Emily and everything she had worked from days on. I felt bad when I saw the heartbroken look on Emily's face. Renee was childish, ignorant, and forgetful but she was never outright mean towards me.

Emily's Sister Hannah soon arrived with a wailing baby in her arms and dumped the child in Emily's hands as soon as she saw her standing next to us in the kitchen.

"Hannah, meet my friends Kim and Bella"

"And guys this is my sister Hannah and my niece Claire" said Emily cuddling the small girl closer to her

Claire. The name hit me like a ton of bricks. This was the same Claire who Quil was going to imprint on after he phased. She was two when he imprinted on her. She was a baby. Even if his feelings were brotherly towards her it was still wrong in my book.

I gave Hannah a small smile as I kept looking at Claire. She was such a cute kid and was wearing a small little romper with hearts drawn over it. Emily tried to calm her down but she was inconsolable and kept wailing. She made a few sounds but could still not talk. Kim who out of us had the most experience with kids took her from Emily's hands and tried the tricks she used when her younger brother's used to cry.

Hannah left Claire with us and went to talk with the others outside.

"Emily I think she is hungry" said Kim after Hannah had left

"Wait I will ask Hannah when she fed her last" she said and walked out only to return a few minutes later with a frown on her face.

"I hate that woman. I cannot believe this. How can a mother forget to feed her own child? I knew that this would happen when she decided to have this baby" she said rambling and pacing the kitchen.

"Emily stop" I said while Kim started heating some milk for Claire "Now tell me what happen"

"She says she forgot to feed her child since morning" she said taking her head in her hands "You know I feel bad for this child. Her mother had her as a result of a one night stand and is least bothered to look after her and the father is not even in the picture. The only person who cares about Claire in that house is my father but he is also too much of a coward to speak against my mother. Sometimes I wonder why she even brought a baby in this world"

"It is going to be okay Emily" I said

Emily quickly made Claire drink the milk and after her crying stopped put her off to sleep. We went back to living room and even though none out of the three of us was in the mood, made conversation with the others. Her parents and Hannah soon left after dinner and so did the Clearwater's. The seven of us stayed back. Sam was now consoling a crying Emily.

The only thought going on in my mind all throughout was maybe Claire needed the imprint and so it happened. Maybe she needed to be looked after and the imprint was the means to reach that. I decided to talk to Old Quil about this and I internally promised myself that Claire would be well looked after but this would be achieved without binding a teenager to her.


	22. Chapter 22

Thank You Taylor9901, MammaNita4, Arwengeld, YankeeGirlNJ, brankel1, Beuty6, Catgrl, Annie48, the newest daughter, debb lavoie for your reviews.

Guest BB: Firstly thank you for liking my story. Just like you said Bella is no superhero, she is a human being and humans can have opinions. This is her opinion on child imprinting and she feels it is wrong does not mean it is wrong in reality or right in reality. What the others think about Quil imprinting on Claire will be mentioned in the coming chapters. Secondly I apologize if you feel that she is bossing around the boys and acting like an Alpha's mate because that is not my intention. I just feel that neither Emily nor Kim are leaders so Bella steps up and takes charge in the females. Thank you.

Chapter 22-

The next day after work I decided to go and see Old Quil. I had a few questions for him to which I wanted answers. I knocked on the door of the room assigned to Old Quil that he had converted into a study. Even though Billy was the chief of the tribe, Old Quil was regarded as one of the wisest man in the tribe and was equally well reputed having a huge say in all tribal matters.

"Come in"

I opened the door and entered the spacious room. Old Quil was sitting at his desk reading a book.

"Ah Bella, have a seat. I was waiting for you"

I sat opposite him hesitantly

"You called for me?" I asked him because he had said that he was waiting for me to come and visit him.

"No but I assume you have a few questions for me"

"Yes I wanted to talk to you about Quil and …"

He interrupted me "Claire"

I nodded my head

"So, I see you met Hannah Young yesterday"

I nodded my head again

"Have you heard about the domino effect Bella?"

I nodded my head

He gave me a small smile "It is when you go to change one small thing about the future and create a mess larger than you can solve. Like domino's everything falls apart. You cannot play God Bella. Knowing the future and acting on it are two completely different things. The power of foresight is a very dangerous power to have and if not used wisely it can be destructive. Now your intentions may be good but you cannot change someone else's life path. The spirits guide me Bella. I know what is going to happen twenty years from now but I do not have the power to change it. I have to sit back and observe, intervene only when I feel it is absolutely necessary to do so."

"But"

He raised his hand to stop me "I have told you before I don't like being interrupted when I am talking. I understand your concern for young Quil and Claire. You just like everyone else want a better future for Claire and feel that imprinting on a baby is wrong. That is your opinion on the matter and I respect that but don't agree with you. I feel the spirits cannot go wrong. But the point here is that neither yours nor my opinion matters. The only two who get a say in this are young Quil and Claire, the wolf and the imprint. But because Claire is a baby and Hannah cannot be considered parent enough in this situation, Emily will be considered the guardian. So unless Young Quil or Emily says that they have a problem with this imprinting no one else gets a say."

"But can an imprint be stopped or broken?" I asked him

"No it cannot be stopped or broken but it can be overpowered with marking. A marked female is more absolute than an imprint"

"So if a wolf marks a woman who is not his imprint his feelings for his imprint will diminish?"

"Yes. His imprint will still be important to him but not as important as his marked mate. For example if Young Quil marks a woman even though he has imprinted on Claire, his feelings for Claire will be platonic for life. She will never be anything more than his sister or friend because the wolf won't be able to see her as anything more, even after she grows up."

"Oh. So what should we do now?"

"Nothing, I will talk to Sam about this. Whether he wants to tell Emily this right now or not will be his call. And I will also talk to Young Quil about this but not right now. He still has some time before he phases and even after he phases he can mark another till Claire is a child. After she grows up the wolf may not accept another."

"I worry about Claire" I whispered. I was too raised by a single mother but atleast Renee was mildly attentive towards me.

He sighed loudly "Everyone who knows the truth of the situation worries about that child. But don't worry her future is better than her present"

"Will anyone else imprint on a child?"

He shook his head "Originally only Jacob and Quil were supposed to imprint on children. Jacob would imprint on your daughter Nessie and Quil would imprint on Claire But now that Nessie will not be born only Quil will imprint on a child."

"What about Jacob? Will he still imprint?"

"Time will tell that but according to me, his wolf will choose the strongest mate he can find. He is an Alpha and needs a female who is equally strong and can support and stand by him"

I nodded my head

"Have you told anyone about this?"

I shook my head "I decided to talk to you before telling anyone"

"Good, you will not talk about this with anyone till the time is right. Not even Paul"

I nodded my head. I had expected that I would have to hide this from him. But this was not my news to share.

"How is the documentation going about?"

"I plan to start conducting interviews after school ends for this year"

He nodded his head and I left his office.

Three days later I was sitting in my office when I had a surprise visitor in the form of Sam Uley.

"He is going to imprint on her" he shouted "She is a baby"

"Take a seat Sam. Yes he will imprint on her but he will only see her as a little sister who he will want to protect and see happy"

"But" he sat down and took his head in his hands "I never knew we could imprint on Kids"

"Yeah he is the first and the last"

"Old Quil told me about marking and how it is Quil's choice if he wants to stay bound to Claire or not"

"Are you going to tell Emily right now?"

He shook his head "No, it will stress her without reason. I won't tell her till Quil phases for the first time"

"What will her reaction be?"

"I don't know but I am guessing it won't be very good. She sees her as a daughter."

I nodded my head and he left my office

The next two weeks passed by quickly. Our exams were approaching and Kim and I were busy tutoring Jared and Paul. Jared was comparatively better than Paul in studies and now that they did not have much of Patrolling to do they could concentrate on their studies and pending assignments. Embry was still not talking to Jake and Quil and by default they both were still not talking to me. Even on Sundays when Charlie, Billy and Harry went fishing and the rest of us joined them for dinner afterwards either Jake refused to come or if it was at his own place, did not come out of his garage. Now that Charlie and Tiffany knew the truth, Paul was already considered family and ate dinner a few times in the week at my house. We had also gone grocery shopping and bought groceries which were easy for Paul to cook in case he was eating at his own house.

Today was Saturday and we were at Sam's watching a game of baseball while having dinner together.

"So Sam and I have news" said Emily nervously

"You'll met Claire, Emily's niece when she had come over here for our housewarming party"

We nodded our heads

"We are adopting her" said Sam holding Emily's hand

We all looked at them in shock and surprise

"Wow that is amazing but how?" asked Kim

"After the party I came to know that my sister Hannah has been unemployed from the past five months and was finding it difficult to raise Claire and frankly she did not want the 'burden' so we both had a talk and decided that we will adopt her" said Emily

"But can you'll do that legally?" asked Jared

"Yes" said Sam "The law says that Native American children must be placed with and adopted by a family member, a member of their tribe or, failing that, a family from another tribe. Emily is Claire's aunt and thus family."

"Have you'll spoken to your advocate?" I asked them

"Yes and we have also spoken to Hannah" said Emily

"How did she react?" asked Kim

"I should not say this but I felt she was relieved when we offered to adopt Claire. My mother definitely is not fond of Claire and does not mind us taking her from them" said Emily

"And so Hannah has agreed to sign the form saying that her parental rights will be terminated" said Sam

"We are so happy for you'll both" shouted Kim giving the both of them hugs while the rest of us followed.

"Are you happy?" I asked Emily when it was only me, her and Kim in the kitchen

"I am but I am worried too. What if I am like my mother and turn out to be a terrible mother myself?"

"Emily, you are nothing like that woman. You need to trust yourself" I said

"Yeah Em, you are one of the most maternal people we know and almost treat the pack as your children by cooking for them and looking after them" said Kim

"I hope Sam and I are enough for her. I don't want that child to suffer. Sam has already started working and is learning the ropes so that he can open his own construction company one day while I will stay at home with her till she starts going to school"

"Emily, you and Sam are not alone in this. We are here for you'll" I said

"Yeah Emily, we were just telling Sam this. Claire is the first pack child and we will all help you'll in raising her" said Jared

I saw that Sam, Jared, Paul and Embry had also entered the kitchen

"Yeah Emily don't worry. Jared will be on diaper changing duty. Do you know he used to change his younger brother's diapers all the time?" said Paul laughing

"Fuck off Paul" said Jared

"Language boys" chastised Emily "We are going to soon have a baby in this house and I don't want her first word to be a cuss word"

"Then you should keep Paul miles away from her" said Embry while Paul showed him the middle finger

The rest of the day was spent in Emily telling us about her plans for Claire. They had already started organizing her room and buying toys for her. There was a glimmer in her eyes and I could see that she and Sam already saw Claire as a daughter.

The rest of April passed by in a blur between our studies, work and hanging out after school at Sam's. Last weekend, Jared's parents Joseph and Jane had invited me and Paul over for dinner as they saw Paul as their son and wanted to officially welcome me into their family. Jared and Kim had also joined us for dinner who were now dating. Jane spent the evening telling me and Kim funny childhood stories of Jared and Paul and showing embarrassing pictures of them growing up while Joseph entertained us by telling us the tales of their rebellious teenage years and the hidden magazines he had found in Jared's room. Just like Paul had been accepted in my family I had been accepted in his and this feeling made me happy. Jane had made us promise before leaving that we would visit soon and even Jeremy, Jared younger brother had taken quite a liking towards me and Kim and especially after hearing that the both of us were good cooks.

The last few days of April left me nervous yet excited. Paul's eighteenth birthday was approaching and I wanted to do something special for him. After brainstorming for hours I finally reached a decision. I was going to take Paul to Seattle for the day as his birthday gift. His birthday 2nd May was on a Monday so we were going to drive to Seattle on Sunday. It was a close call as our exams were starting from Tuesday but I wanted to do something grand for him and we were well prepared for the exams. Unfortunately I was aware that my truck would not be able to cover the distance and Charlie's cruiser was not even an option so I had asked Embry if I could borrow his truck to which he had agreed. Now that he knew that Paul had imprinted on me, he was much more accepting of our relationship.

When I had told Charlie and Tiffany about my surprise for Paul, Tiffany had gushed about how cute it was and how adorable the both of us were while Charlie had nervously shifted in his chair. Charlie had made me promise that our phones would be switched on at all times and we would drive safely at night.

I had made sure not to tell Jared, Sam or Embry as I did not want my surprise to get leaked to Paul through their common mind link. Though Emily and Kim knew they were not supposed to tell the boys.

The only thing Paul knew was that I was going to give him his surprise birthday gift today.

"Hey" I said as I parked the truck in his driveway where he was already standing

"It is seven am on a Sunday. Where the hell are we going?"

"I told you it is a surprise and we are going to be traveling a long distance so we need to leave early"

He pouted and sat next to me in the truck

"Atleast give me a hint about where we are going?"

"Nope" I said laughing

"Come on, you know I don't like waiting and no one else will tell me anything. I also bribed Embry but he refused to budge" he said the last part scowling

"Embry doesn't know and all those who know have been told to keep their mouth shut. You will have to wait and watch"

He pouted but did not say anything. I really hoped Paul would like my gift. Jane had told me that Paul loved surprises and his eyes would sparkle with happiness when someone gave him a gift. But he was extremely impatient and wanted to know everything at the moment just like a little kid. Seattle was a distance of four hours from La Push and our destination would be another half an hour from there.

We made easy conversation throughout the drive talking about anything and everything stopping for breakfast on the way.

"Wait we are going to Seattle?" asked Paul looking outside the window

"Not quite"

"Then where are we going?"

"Patience Paul, Patience" I said laughing

Nearly four and half hours after we had left La Push I parked the truck outside our destination.

"Here we are" I said as he stared at me looking equally surprised and shocked

"A skydiving centre?"

"Yup" I said smiling

"Have I told you I love you?"

"Not since morning"

"Well I love you and this is the best surprise I have ever received"

"The day has just started Paul, now let's go inside before we get late"

I had already registered our names for skydiving and our skydiving instructor gave us our jumpsuit, helmet and goggles before giving us the basic instructions which we had to follow to avoid any mishaps.

We were soon taken up in the air to experience one of the most exhilarating and adrenalin filled moments of our lives and just before Paul was going to jump I could see the happiness on his face which made my day.

After skydiving I drove towards Pike place market where we spent a few hours shopping and eating followed by a tour of the Space Needle and a visit to Seattle Center. Finally after dinner we made our way back to La Push, Paul chose to drive this time around while I rested my head on his shoulder.

He parked the truck outside my house and got off the truck saying that he would just run to his place instead of driving it there and getting it back tomorrow.

"Thank you so much. This was my best birthday till date" he said pulling me in his arms

"I love you"

"I love you too"

I looked at the time in my watch and saw that there were thirty seconds to 12:00.

"Happy Birthday Paul" I said kissing him as the clock struck twelve.

A/N: Hey guys, I don't live in the US, all the information I take is from the internet. While researching for the skydiving scene I realized that the age limit to go skydiving in Seattle is 18 and neither of the characters are 18 yet, so please for the sake of my story just think that the age limit is 16. Thank you.


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you Taylor9901, the newest daughter, YankeeGirlNJ, Beuty6, debb lavoie, .7334, FutureEdu24, MammaNita4, brankel1, sarae32, Catgrl for your reviews.

Chapter 23-

"We are forgetting a very important detail" I said to the group of people, now looking at me "I can't dance. I was born with two left feet"

Today was 22nd May, exactly twenty days since Paul's eighteenth birthday and a lot had happened in these twenty days. First and foremost our exams had been conducted and hours of rote learning and drinking coffee to stay awake had finally paid off. Even Jared and Paul who had been tutored by our resident scholar Kim Connweller were confident that they would pass with good grades. It also helped that they no longer patrolled the reservation for hours instead of concentrating on their studies.

Secondly Tiffany Call was now Tiffany Swan. Charlie and she had opted for a courthouse wedding instead of anything elaborate followed by a simple reception on the Makah reservation for Tiffany's relatives. Embry and I were the only guests in attendance from La Push. Being an only child of parents who were only children I had never observed the madness and chaos that comes with an extended family and Tiffany had a huge extended family, not only were her siblings with their kids present but her father and mother's siblings with their families were present too causing me to be introduced to a bunch of new aunts, uncles and cousins who all wanted to know Tiffany's new daughter. It was chaotic but beautiful to see their customs and how they had intermingled modernity with tradition and the fact that people I had never even met before or shared blood with now saw me as a granddaughter, niece or cousin and were so accepting of me and Charlie. Especially Tiffany's father Albert Call, when I was introduced to him and while conversing with him he found out that my both set of grandparents had expired when I was a child, he insisted that just like Embry I was also now his grandchild, his seventeenth granddaughter to be precise and should call him Grandpa Albert from now on and just like his other grandkids I could visit him anytime. By the end of the night of the reception, I had exchanged numbers with several of my new cousins who I got along with pretty well and had promised a lot of aunts and uncles that I would come to meet them soon.

The day after the reception Charlie and Tiffany had left for their ten day long honeymoon to Los Angeles County using most of the money Charlie had saved by not taking a vacation in close to fifteen years. That brought us to the present and the most important topic at hand Junior Prom. LPH held a combined prom for both seniors and juniors every year which was at the end of this month and all my supposed friends had made it their mission to make me attend prom and have a good time. When I had agreed to go to prom I assumed that it was obvious that Paul and I would be going together but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Paul had planned a promposal for me. Two days back he had decorated my entire room with balloons and multi colored confetti while he stood in the middle holding a placard saying 'Will you go to Prom with me?'

"Oh that is not what I remember Swan" said Paul winking at me bringing me back to the present. I looked around the room everyone was here Sam, Emily, Jared, Kim, Paul and Embry. We were currently at Sam's house hanging out as it was a Sunday. I thought for a minute about what Paul was talking about before I realized that he was talking about Lauren Mallory's house party when I had gotten drunk and according to Paul, danced.

I gave him my harshest glare "We will never talk about that again"

He tried to stifle his laugh

"What is this about?" asked Jared

"Oh you remember the party we went to right before you phased because you wanted to fu…"

Jared interrupted him "Bella's right. Let's never talk about it again" he said looking at Kim

"So what are we going to do of my no dancing thing? I don't want to accidently hit someone because trust me that is a huge possibility" I said

"Yeah even I am not that good a dancer" said Kim

"Girls" said Emily "Prom is more about dressing up, socializing and having fun with your friends and dates but if you'll are so worried about dancing I can teach you'll how to dance. I am a good dancer"

I looked at Kim once before nodding my head

"Great so besides dancing we have a lot to do. Have you'll decided your dresses?"

The both of us shook our heads

"So how about we go shopping to Port Angeles tomorrow after your school?"

"Okay that will do" I said "But I am not a shopaholic, we go to one shop, buy what we need and leave"

"I agree with that" said Kim

"Fine by me" said Emily

"So when can we see your dance practice?" asked Paul smirking

"Nope" said Emily smiling "Even you'll both are going to learn how to dance with the girls" she said pointing towards Jared and Paul

"Why would we do that? We can dance" said Jared

"I don't think so. Sam will teach you'll how to dance" said Emily

"Me?" asked Sam giving her a confused look

"Is there any other Sam here?" asked Emily giving him a pointed look "Weren't you and Leah the Prom King and Queen?"

"Oh yeah we were" said Sam

"So it is decided then on Tuesday, Sam and I will teach you'll how to do a couple's dance"

"Oh I am going to have so much fun watching this" said Embry rubbing his hands together laughing

The next day as promised Emily picked us up after school and we both drove to Port Angeles with her in her car. The journey was spent talking about random topics.

"You know I have noticed" started Emily "Sam often purrs at night while sleeping"

"Maybe it is a wolf thing. Even Paul purrs on the nights I stay at his place"

"Can I ask you'll something?" whispered Kim

We both nodded our heads

"What is it like doing it with them for the first time?"

"Okay they are huge down there so be prepared for a little pain and discomfort" said Emily

"You'll can try different positions. One which suits you'll both" I added

"If the room is well ventilated it is better because of their high body temperature" said Emily

"Also don't worry so much. Despite their strength they are gentle lovers" I said

'Yeah if you share your concerns with Jared, I am sure he will take it at your pace" said Emily

I nodded my head

"Thanks guys. I will talk to Jared about this"

Emily took us to the same shop she had visited to buy her prom dress and after seeing and trying a few dresses I selected a black with lace knee length dress while Kim went for a royal blue off shoulder floor length one.

"Are you sure about heels Bella?" asked Emily

"I can't walk wearing them"

"I am not telling you to buy 6 inch pencil heels Bella. Why don't you try wearing wedges or kitten heels? They will give you a good height too. Atleast take a look at them"

"Fine" I said reluctantly

After trying out a few pair of heels I decided on a pair of black kitten heels in which I could comfortably walk without tripping. After buying a few more items we exited the store.

We were walking to the car when I saw a salon opposite us.

"Hey, do we have some time? I was thinking of getting a haircut. My hair look pretty lifeless and I have split ends" I said

"Yeah even I wouldn't mind a trim" said Kim

"Fine I will just get a pedicure till you'll get your haircuts" said Emily

The three of us walked towards the salon and Two hours later I walked out with shoulder length hair with highlights in them. Even though it was a tad bit different and bold from my previous haircuts I really liked what the hairstylist had done. Kim had just gotten a trim to her mid back length hair. After our haircuts all three of us got facials and got waxed followed by a massage. It was a good pampering day in general.

After dinner Emily dropped me home before going to drop Kim.

I opened the door to find Paul and Embry sitting on the couch watching TV

"Hey Boys"

"Hey Bella" both muttered engrossed in watching TV

I just stood there waiting for atleast one of them to look at me. Paul was the first one to cave.

"Bella" he said looking at me with wide eyes and an open mouth

"Yup how do I look?"

"Gorgeous" he said "I want to pick you up and take you home with me and do things to you that you can only imagine"

"I am literally sitting in the same room guys" said Embry giving us a disgustful look

Paul ignored him and kept looking at me with desire in his eyes

"And I am out of here" said Embry "Looking good Bells" he added before walking out of the room

On Tuesday after school all of us assembled at Sam's for Emily's dance class

"So there are two types of dances slow dancing and fast dancing" said Emily "In slow dancing a couple dances together to soft music and fast dancing is just dancing to the rhythm. So let's start with slow dancing"

Emily had cleared the entire living room of furniture to make space for us to dance

"Paul Jared, hold Bella and Kim like Sam is holding me"

Paul and I stood in front of one another and he placed his hands on my hip while I interlaced my hands behind his neck. Embry who was our DJ for the day monitored the music while we learnt how to dance watching Emily and Sam. Though I did step on Paul's feet a few times with my heels he did not say anything. After a couple of slow dances Emily told Embry to change the must to a fast song for us to practice fast dancing. It was hilarious to watch four highly uncoordinated people trying to dance on rhythm without looking like a fool. In Emily's defense she did not give up and kept trying. Finally after a few hours of practice my legs hurt but I could dance atleast a bit.

On Thursday Charlie and Tiffany returned from their honeymoon looking completely rejuvenated spotting a slight tan.

"Bella this look suits you so much" said Tiffany hugging me

"Thank you how was your honeymoon?"

"It was amazing" said Tiffany getting a dreamy look in her eyes

"Hey Kiddo, all good here?" asked Charlie

"Yeah dad we had a good time"

The four of us sat in the living room while Tiffany and Charlie told us about their trip and showed us photos and the shopping they had done. I cooked dinner for a change giving Tiffany a break while Embry helped in drying the utensils.

Today was Saturday and the day of Prom. Kim was staying over at my house after prom and was even coming early for us to get ready together. Emily and Sam had to go down to Makah to meet their advocate before heading to her parent's house to see Claire. By the end of June, Claire would legally be Emily's daughter.

Charlie was already at the station compensating for his taken leave while Embry had also gone to Makah to meet his cousins and was staying there tonight. Tiffany had offered to help us in getting dressed. She told me she had worked as a hairdresser to earn cash when Embry was a child. In the afternoon post lunch Kim arrived and we started getting ready in my room after gossiping for a bit. The boys were going to pick us up at 5:30 and after taking photos we were going for dinner.

Tiffany curled my hair for me and applied light make up before straightening Kim's hair and doing her make up too.

"Wow you'll both look so beautiful and grownup" said Tiffany teary eyed

"Thank you I wish my mom could also be here to help me in getting ready but the brats I call brothers would not let her leave" said Kim

"You look gorgeous Kim and you can take some photos to show your parents later"

She nodded her head

"Wow I feel so grownup. Even though it is not our senior prom" I said

"Just one more year before we graduate" added Kim

"Have you'll decided where you'll are going for college?" asked Tiffany

"Not as of yet Mrs. Swan" said Kim

"Call me Tiffany, Kim"

I shook my head. I knew that eventually I would have to have the 'I am not going to college talk' with Charlie and Tiffany. My mind was set on this matter. I was going to take culinary courses in Port Angeles with Emily before opening a bakery in La Push.

Charlie soon arrived and just like Tiffany told us that we were looking good before clicking a few photos of us.

We were in our room applying the finishing touches of our make up when the doorbell rang

"Girls your dates are here" said Tiffany from downstairs

I walked down the stairs to see Paul wearing a black tuxedo standing at the other end waiting for me with a bouquet of lilies in his hand and a smile on his face

"You look mesmerizing" he said kissing me on the hand "This is for you" he handed me the bouquet making me blush.

Kim also soon walked down the stairs to where Jared was standing coincidently wearing a blue tuxedo. I had a strong suspicion that this was Emily and Sam's doing coordinating our clothes.

"Come on Kids let's take some photos" said Joseph Cameron. Even he and Jane were here.

We took a few couple photos followed by group photos of us making silly faces.

"I am so going to frame this" said Tiffany showing me a photo of me and Paul. His arms were wrapped around me and he was looking at me with such adoration in his eyes that if I didn't already love him I would fall in love with him looking at this.

After taking photos the four of us left for dinner in Jared's car. Like most of the students of LPH we were going to Sue's diner for dinner. Jared drove the short distance with loud music blasting in our car.

The diner was filled with people. Thankfully we had already reserved a table so we did not have to wait for one and we ordered dinner sharing light conversation.

Post dinner we left for our venue. The theme for prom was masquerade ball and we were given masks before entering the hall. The entire venue had been beautifully decorated in colors of black and gold and a few people were already dancing by the time we reached.

I spoke to a few of my classmates for a while before going back to where Paul was standing.

"Root Beer?" he offered me a glass

I took the glass making sure not to drink enough to get drunk

"Wait who is going to drive back if we all drink?"

"Bella you know Jared and I can't get drunk. Only Old Quil's moonshine works on us and he won't give that to us"

I nodded my head. Old Quil was very particular about his moonshine and even Quil who lived in the same house as him hardly saw it.

I joined Kim on the dance floor while Paul and Jared went to talk to some of their old friends.

"I am actually glad Emily gave us those ridiculous dance classes" said Kim

"Me too" I said agreeing with her

Suddenly the music changed and a slow song started playing.

"May I have this dance?" said a voice behind me and I turned back to see Paul standing there

"Sure"

He took my hand and pulled me in the centre wrapping his arms around my hips.

"Having Fun?" he asked twirling me around

"Uh huh" I said nodding my head "Having more fun than I thought I would"

I saw around us, a lot of couples were dancing. I could see Jared and Kim dancing too at a distance.

Paul and I danced in silence for some more time before he lowered his lips to connect with mine and I relished in his familiar taste.

After Prom ended Paul and Jared dropped us both at my place where we were going to have a sleepover.

Charlie and Tiffany were sitting in the living room when we arrived and Paul left after giving me a quick peck.

We spoke to Tiffany for a while telling her about our prom before going to my room to change.

"You know I used to imagine this day before Jared imprinted on me making my dreams come true" said Kim

"Today was perfect and I am so glad Paul imprinted on me"

She nodded her head before falling asleep.

The next two weeks passed by in a blur. Our summer vacations had started and after work I was going to the beach every day to hang out with the others.

I was lying down on the sand sunbathing when my phone rang.

"Hello"

"Hey Baby" said a very familiar voice that I recognized as my mom

"Hey mom, how are you?"

"I am good. How has my baby been?"

"I am also good. School's shut for the summer"

"Are you still dating that Paul guy?"

"Yup"

"You will have to make me meet him soon"

"What do you mean mom?"

"Well I have a couple of news for you"

"What news?"

"Well Phil and I are relocating to Port Angeles in a few weeks"

What! I now sat up from my lying down position and Emily and Kim both also sat up from where they were lying down next to me.

"What?"

"Yeah, Phil is going to be coaching baseball in a private school in Port Angeles from next term"

"Wow, you will be so close to me"

"Yes I am so excited for that. We can have mother daughter bonding time."

I laughed a little on that. Renee's plans were as crazy as her and often involved things that were hazardous or illegal.

"I also have some other news for you"

"What mom?"

She took a deep breath "I am pregnant"

The phone almost fell from my hand

"Mom what did you say?" I asked again to confirm that I had heard correct the first time.

"I know it is unexpected and at this age such a risk…"

I rolled my eyes "Mom cut the drama. You are only 36 and Phil is 29"

"So baby, are you okay with this?"

"Of course mom I am going to be a big sister" I squealed in joy.

She laughed "Five more months to go" "Bella will you come with me for the ultrasound to find out the gender after we arrive there"

"Of course mom, I am so happy for you'll both"

"You better get Paul over for dinner once"

"Sure mom"

After talking for some more time I cut the call sitting where I was. I was going to be an elder sister to a baby girl or baby boy in a few more months.


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you .7334, Taylor9901, MammaNita4, Beuty6, sweetieraquelchukwurah, scoobyfaniam143, brankel1, the newest daughter, tinkerbear10 for your reviews.

Chapter 24-

"So Paul, tell me something about you?" asked Renee who was sitting on the other side of the couch.

It had been a month since Renee's phone call where she told me that she was pregnant and they both were relocating to Port Angeles. I had been ecstatic for days about being an older sister and had told everyone around me who would listen. The next four weeks were passed with constant travelling to and fro to Port Angeles to help them set up their new home and in buying furniture. Most of their furniture was outdated and with the baby coming they wanted to buy some things for the baby too. When I was not in Port Angeles I was either at work or with the Pack. As I had assured Old Quil, I had started writing down details of this Pack starting with Sam. I had interviewed him keeping a recorder on, so that I could pay attention to whatever he said without having to note it down on spot. He told me about his first phase and what had triggered it. How scared he had been and how he had roamed the woods in La Push for two weeks in wolf form. How Old Quil had seen him and told him the legends and being the first wolf to phase followed by his imprinting on Emily breaking Leah's heart, Jared Phasing and becoming Alpha and lastly adopting Claire.

Old Quil had asked me to make a hierarchy table for each member of the pack so we would know the entire lineage of the wolf. It would also help in knowing who all have the wolf gene. Sam, Paul and Embry could be traced to the Uley Line while Jared was from the Black Line. One thing that I had to make sure of was that, that book in which all of this was written was never to be taken out of my office. I had to document everything only while sitting in my office and no one except me and the three elders was allowed to enter this room. From Billy I came to know that there were other elders too but they were not in the knowing of the wolf pack secret. In one of the council meetings that I was now supposed to attend and was held every three months, I was introduced to the other 4 elders. I understood Billy's reasoning of not letting them know because either they were too old or too far out from the situation having no connection to anyone who had the wolf gene and their logic was simple the lesser people know, the better.

"Nothing much to say Mrs. Dwyer…" said Paul

Currently we were in Renee and Phil's new apartment in Port Angeles for dinner. Renee had not only invited me and Paul but even Charlie, Tiffany and Embry had been invited who even though Charlie wanted to refuse accepted the invitation. All of us were here expect Phil who had to run out for a sudden errand.

"Shush Call me Renee, Paul" she interrupted "And plus I must be only a few years older than you. Though I must say I am pleasantly surprised that Charlie is okay with the age difference between you and Bella"

"What age difference mom?" I asked her confused

"Isn't he in his mid twenties?"

I shook my head "No he is eighteen and a junior just like me"

"Wow" she said raising her eyebrows "You are in high school?"

Paul nodded his head

"Wow again. When I was in high school boys were not this drool worthy and well endowed" she said looking at Paul.

Wait did my mother just look at my boyfriend's man parts before saying the last part?

"Are you also in school yet?" she asked Embry

"I am actually sixteen"

"I am impressed. What do they put in the water these days?"

"Just Quileute genes Renee" said Tiffany with a small smile

"I wish you would have told me this twenty years back or maybe even a few months back. Don't get me wrong, I love Phil but I appreciate a fine body nonetheless"

Where is Phil when you need him?

Luckily Charlie coughed at that moment and changed the topic to something else by initiating a conversation with Paul and Embry.

Renee on the other hand pulled me into the kitchen with her with the excuse of needing help in the kitchen which no doubt she actually needed.

"So Bella, you have hidden quite some things from me?" she said in a teasing manner

"Mom please" I internally prayed that she would not say anything embarrassing after all there were two people sitting out with supernatural hearing.

"You did not tell me that your boyfriend was this hot. How is he in bed? I bet he is an animal. Give me details"

"Mom I am not discussing my sex life with you" I groaned out

"Uh Huh, so that means you have a sex life. Finally! Do you know how worried I was when you never showed interest in anyone male or female all these years? I started to think you were Asexual or something"

I rolled my eyes over her dramatics "So what is there for dinner?" I asked her changing the topic

"Spaghetti with meatballs, potato salad and garlic bread"

"Sounds good where have you got the takeout from?"

"What takeout I cooked all of this?" she said with a little pride in her voice

"What" I almost screamed. It was a known fact Renee could even burn toast.

"I know, I know you think I have no cooking skills and Phil even offered to cook but I refused. I told you I have been taking cooking classes right. This is the first time I am trying out those recipes"

Great, so we are going to be guinea pigs tonight

"Have you made anything for dessert?" I asked her

"No you know dessert is not my forte. I was hoping you could quickly make something"

"Fine I will make brownies" I said slightly relieved

Renee went outside to talk with the others while I stayed in the kitchen getting all the ingredients ready for brownies. A few minutes later Paul walked into the kitchen.

"Need some help?"

I shook my head laughing "You are no better than Renee in cooking"

He mock sighed "Come on. I do make breakfast sometimes" he said making me laugh

"So what are we making?"

"Chocolate chip brownies"

"Great I will help"

We started mixing the ingredients together working as a unit in the kitchen while talking continuously. I put the brownies for baking and turned to find Paul staring at me with his back resting against the kitchen counter.

"What?" I asked him blushing

"Nothing, my wolf is happy that his mate looks after everyone"

"Oh yeah?" I asked him walking up to him and wiping the flour from his face that had somehow landed there.

He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around me pulling me closer to him

"Paul, not that I mind but my parents are in the next room and Charlie still has his gun on him"

"Pfft, Charlie likes me and babe, I am a werewolf, I will hear it if someone is about to enter the kitchen"

"Fair enough" I said before attaching my lips to his

Dinner was a surprisingly quiet affair and Charlie and Phil who had now returned were talking about baseball and his new job as a coach. Fortunately no one commented on my slightly disheveled condition from our make out session earlier in the kitchen though I saw Embry smirk at Paul.

Renee's cooking was not as bad as I had assumed it to be. Though the spaghetti was undercooked, it was a major improvement from her earlier days and I was glad that my younger sibling would not have to learn to cook at a younger age to survive because no one else could cook in the house. Even Phil was a decent cook.

"So Renee, you are in your second trimester right?" asked Tiffany

"Yes, in the fifth month" said Renee slightly rubbing her small baby bump

"Mom when is your ultrasound?"

"It is next week. Are you going to be coming?"

"If you want me too"

"Of course I want you there Bella. You are my first baby after all"

"Then I will be there" I said giving her a smile

We spent some more time talking and after having dessert left bidding Renee and Phil bye. Charlie asked me to ride with him as he wanted to talk to me about something leaving the other three to follow in Tiffany's car.

"So dad, what did you want to talk about?"

"I am just thinking how did you turn out to be so normal with such crazy parents as me and Renee"

"You are not crazy dad"

"Thank Tiffany for that. I guess if she had not entered my life I would still be engrossed in fishing, baseball and wasting my life away drinking beer"

"She is a really good person"

"That she is" he said nodding his head

"You know dad" I said after a few minutes of silence "Mom once made me take a 'how to survive a zombie apocalypse class' because she was convinced that Zombies were going to attack Arizona"

"What" he said laughing "She seems much normal now in comparison"

"Phil has calmed her down"

He nodded his head

"Dad just between us, do you regret what happen between you and mom? The way you'll ended"

"No" he shook his head "When a relationship starts getting toxic, it is better to end it than suffer together. But I do regret that you were taken away from me. I did not see you grow up Bella. I just saw you for a few months every year and that was not enough. After you grew up, I started thinking that maybe you did not like spending time with me. You refused to come to Forks and when I came over there you were always aloof and wanted to go home to Renee"

"Dad I was an idiot. I am sorry for my past actions. I liked spending time with you" "But talk about irony dad, I used to hate Forks because of the weather and now I am going to be living in La Push all my life"

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah" I nodded my head "You know dad, I learnt a very important lesson after meeting Paul. The place you stay at doesn't matter as much as the people you live with. Family and Friends are important. All of you will be in La push and that will be home for me."

"And now even your mom is going to be near you"

I nodded my head "I guess you start to realize the true value of things after you almost lose it"

"That was just a bad dream Bells. It is never going to be true again"

I nodded my head wiping the few stray tears from my eyes.

The next week I travelled to Port Angeles for Renee's ultrasound appointment. They were going to find out the sex of the baby today. It was only going to be me and Renee as Phil had to travel back to Jacksonville to pack some remaining items.

"So mom what do you want, a boy or a girl?" I asked excitedly

"I want a boy but Phil wants a girl" she said slightly laughing

"Sorry mom, but I am with Phil on this one. It will be good to have a younger sister after being surrounded by brothers"

"I am happy that you are so happy with this news, baby" she said giving me a genuine smile

"How can I not be happy mom? This is my younger sibling. I get to pamper and spoil him or her"

She laughed and patted her baby bump "See little one, how excited your sister is for you to come"

"Mom I am so happy that you'll both are living so close to me. I missed you"

"Oh Baby. I missed you too"

We entered the hospital where Renee's appointment was scheduled and after waiting for our turn went inside the room for the Ultrasound.

"So everything seems good. No complications as such" said the doctor looking into the machine "Do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Renee nodded her head

"Congrats Mrs. Dwyer, it's a boy"

I quickly hugged Renee. They were having a son.

After dropping Renee back to her apartment I went back to La Push.

The next few days were hectic. Every year an annual summer fair was held in La Push which was attended by people from other tribes as well as from Forks and from everyone residing in La Push. It was a two day festival organized by the council and as a junior council member I was responsible for helping in organizing it. My days were filled with preparation and calling people who would be interested in putting up stalls. I was constantly at the site of the fair. Emily had decided to keep a stall of cookies and homemade chocolates and Kim was going to be managing the stall with her. All the pack boys were supposed to be helping in setting up because of their strength and were supposed to act as security. Sue was keeping her own food stall while Tiffany was going to be selling souvenirs and Embry would be helping her in that.

Three days before the fair I was in Forks to drop in something at Tiffany's. I was leaving from her shop and was about to enter my truck when I saw Angela Weber coming from the opposite direction.

"Hey Angela"

"Bella, how come you are here?" she asked giving me a hug

"Had to drop something at Tiffany's shop, how have you been?"

"I am good. So tell me how's life?"

"Angela, are you free right now? Let's go for lunch"

"Sure"

We both walked towards Sully's burgers leaving my truck parked where it was. After sitting and ordering the both of us started our conversation.

"So how is everyone back at school?" I asked her. I felt a little guilty that I had not spoken to any of my old friends in months.

"Everyone is good" she replied hesitantly "How is LPH and I heard you are dating someone?"

I told her a bit about School, Paul and how Charlie and Tiffany were now married though she already knew that as Charlie was the chief of police and everyone knew everything about everyone in Forks and La Push. We spoke for some more time about random topics.

"So how is Ben?"

She sighed and looked at the floor "What's wrong Ange?"

"We are no longer together" she whispered

"What Happen?"

"I caught him cheating on me with Lauren Mallory out of all people"

"What"

"Yeah"

"I am so sorry Angela"

"It's okay" "Anyways we were going to break up when he went to college. He did not want to do long distance"

"Oh" "Angela, are you doing anything on the weekend. There is the annual summer fair in La Push, why don't you come for it and bring your brothers too. They will enjoy. There is going to be a puppet show for kids and there will also be rides and games"

"Yeah I have heard about it. Thanks I will come and get my brothers too"

We spoke for some more time before leaving for our respective destinations.

On the day of the fair which was a Saturday, I woke up early from anticipation and nervousness. It was a huge responsibility that the elders had trusted me with. After a quick shower and breakfast I left for the site of the summer fair. Everyone else would be coming by later but I wanted to go early to check at the last minute preparations. By 10:30 Am all the stall owners had arrived and I helped Emily, Kim and Tiffany in setting up.

There were games and rides organized apart from food and I could see that people from other tribes had also come to attend. Children were running around and playing on the rides. Sam was carrying a smiling Claire who was too young to participate in the rides but was clapping her hands looking at them. Renee and Phil had also come down from Port Angeles. Charlie was sitting with Billy and Harry. I could see Jacob and Quil roaming around with their other friends from school keeping their distance from Embry. Seth was helping in Sue's stall and even Leah had come back from her college in Seattle. I spoke to her for some time and she told me how well her classes were going. We made a plan to meet for lunch someday in the coming week.

"Hey Bella" said Angela coming up to where I was standing with two ten year olds following her

"Hey Angela, Good to see that you came"

We roamed around the fair for some time while her brothers ran off to be with their friends.

"And this is Tiffany's souvenir stall" I told her as we reached the stall. Embry was attending it right now.

"Angela, this is my brother Embry. Embry this is my friend Angela" I introduced them both and when I did not hear a sound for the next few seconds I turned back to look at them. Both of them were staring at one another. Embry was looking at Angela with adoration and love while Angela was reciprocating. I recognized that look well. He imprinted on her.

I cleared my throat to get their attention "So I am going to be around Embry, why don't you give Angela some company"

He nodded his head and gave me a big smile

I went back to Emily's stall where all the others were to give them the news that Embry just imprinted. The day was getting better and better by the minute.

I was talking to one of the girl's from school when I felt warm arms wrap around me.

"What" I asked their owner excusing myself from the girl I was talking to.

"I have missed you these past few days" he said

"I know. I have missed you too. I have been so busy organizing all of this"

"But now you are off duty"

I nodded my head "I guess I am"

"Come on let's go on the Ferris wheel" he said taking my hand in his.

We rode the Ferris wheel before going to where the bumper cars were and hitting one another's car with a bumper car laughing loudly. We roamed around for some more time eating and shopping at the various stalls before joining the others Sam, Emily and Claire, Jared and Kim, Embry and Angela, Me and Paul and Leah.

Life was good and I hoped it stayed that way.


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you .7334, YankeeGirlNJ, Sara 1287, Taylor9901, brankel1, the newest daughter, Beuty6, MammaNita4, Guest, rachel625, 1tinac for your reviews.

Chapter 25-

Old Quil had told me once that every imprint is different and the imprinter and the imprintee are specifically made for one another. I never knew the true value of this statement before I saw Embry and Angela. Living around two imprinted couples and being a part of an imprinted couple myself I knew how it was and saw the love a shape shifter had for his imprint and vice versa on a daily basis but the easy camaraderie that Embry and Angela shared was beautiful to even observe. They were so in sync of one another and their personalities truly complemented the other.

On the second day of the summer fair, Angela returned to La Push with her younger brothers and after spending the entire day with Embry, anyone could see how smitten she was by him. That very night when Embry dropped Angela to her house, he told her the truth about him being a shape shifter and she being his imprint. Even though all of us advised Embry against jumping the gun and getting to know her better before telling her, he refused and said that he just knew that he had to tell us and could not lie to her even a minute longer. Luckily for him when he revealed all this to her she smiled and told him that she could feel the connection they shared. Though she did not know what it was at first, when their eyes met so did their souls and she felt every part of it. It was almost as if subconsciously her mind accepted the imprint without her knowing what it was. When the pack and the elders got to know of this they asked me to research if anything like this, an instant imprint from both sides had ever happen before but nothing like this had been noted so everyone accepted that this was just their bond. Sam- Emily imprint had been tough to begin with, with Sam imprinting on his girlfriend's cousin who refused to even talk to him. Jared had it easier but even Kim had resisted a bit after knowing the truth. Paul and my relationship were different. We started off as friends before becoming a couple even before he first phased and because our imprint was assumed to happen because of my prior knowledge it only accelerated our feelings towards one another a bit.

Angela had officially met the Pack two days after Embry told her everything and she had taken everything as a Pro and the only thing she had muttered when she was told of vampires was 'I knew the Cullen's were different I could just feel it'. She was already a good friend to me and over the next few days she became closer to Emily and Kim too. Also she told us how her 'supposed friends' from school were now torn between who to choose from Ben and Angela after their breakup and things had just become awkward with Lauren and Ben now dating and rubbing it into her face at every chance they got. So every free minute she had she spent at the res with all of us.

Tiffany had nearly cried out in joy when she met Angela and gushed over how grown up her baby boy was now. And so just like Paul was a part of our Saturday family dinners so was Angela. Angela's parents had not been that accepting of her relationship with Embry mainly because of his reputation as a cult member in town but after they met him their perception of him completely changed and now they pretty much approved of Embry.

Today was Friday two weeks after the summer fair and I was on my way to Forks to Angela's house, with Kim. Angela's parents and brothers had gone to Tacoma to visit her aunt and were going to be staying there for the weekend while she had refused to go and chose to stay back in Forks. So it had been decided that Kim, Angela and I were going to have a sleepover at Angela's place. The others would be joining us for dinner and would leave after that as per Tiffany's instructions, which made it very clear that the boys were not supposed to stay the night. Emily had wanted to join for the sleepover but Claire had just started living with them and she could not leave her for an entire night though they would be joining for dinner leaving Claire with Sue. Charlie and Tiffany had themselves left for Seattle on Thursday as Charlie was supposed to be there to discuss a case with the Seattle Police department and were going to be staying the weekend.

"Hey" I told Angela as I parked my truck in the driveway

"Hey I was just waiting for you'll. Can we go to the supermarket? I need to buy some snacks"

"Sure hop in"

I drove to the supermarket and we quickly started selecting what all we would need for tonight.

"Oh look whose here" said a familiar voice filled with malice

We turned back to see Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley standing there giving us dirty glares

"The newest Slut of Forks with her accomplices" continued Lauren sneering

"I could not believe the rumors when I heard that quiet, docile Angela Weber was now shacking up with a cult member from the reservation mere days after Ben dumped her sorry ass" said Jessica

I took Angela's hand in mine. I knew she would need the support.

"Ben told me how easy his ex girlfriend was but I never believed him before this" said Lauren "And you Ms. Bella Swan dating my leftovers, just so you know I rejected your boyfriend before he chose to be with someone like you and lowered his standards."

I snorted "I think you are suffering from amnesia Lauren because that is not what happened. You kissed my boyfriend forcibly and he threw you out of his house insulting you, if I remember and you have some nerve coming here and talking badly to Angela. You know if people have friends like you there is no need for an enemy in their life. And don't you worry about Angela because I can assure you she is much better off without that Jerk Ben in her life. So concentrate on your own life and Jessica everyone knows that you were the one who started these rumors so I am going to tell you this just once, if you concentrate on your own life as much as you concentrate on everyone else's, maybe you will become a better person and Mike Newton will give you the time of the day."

Both of them huffed and glared at us

"Do you have anything else to add because otherwise shoo off. We are busy here and don't have the entire day to waste" said Kim

Lauren glared at us once more before turning and walking away with Jessica following her.

"Ange, don't take them seriously. They are just jealous spiteful people" said Kim to Angela who was almost on the verge of crying

"I have known them both since Kindergarten. I thought they were my friends" whispered Angela

"They are no one's friend Angela" I told her honestly

"Come on let's go home. Let's not spoil our mood because of them" said Angela before dumping a few more items in our cart.

In the next few hours we saw a movie while eating popcorn, gossiped a bit, clicked a ton of photos and played video games owned by Angela's brothers.

At around 5:30 Embry, Paul and Jared turned up.

"Hey you okay?" asked Embry making a beeline for Angela "I could feel that you were upset"

Angela shook her head

"Yeah even I felt that you were angry about something" said Paul looking at me

"Lauren Mallory" I said knowing that these two words were enough

Suddenly both Embry and Paul started shaking as if they were going to phase. I rubbed Paul's arm to calm him down.

"She is not worth it Paul" I told him

"Yeah this is exactly what she wants, attention" said Angela trying to calm Embry down who was growling

"What is this about?" asked Jared and Kim quickly explained it to him

"That Bitch" said Jared growling. Angela was a pack sister and just like with the other imprints all of the boys were protective of her.

"Leave it, let's not even waste our time talking about her" I said trying to change the matter.

We spent the next hour playing cards and Twister. It was hilarious to see Paul, Embry and Jared trying to play that game with their size.

At around 7, Sam and Emily turned up after leaving Claire with Sue who was babysitting. We ordered Pizzas and saw TV while having dinner.

"Okay let's play a game" said Kim after we had finished eating

"What game?" asked Jared

"How about 'would you rather'? Suggested Angela

We all nodded our heads and sat in a circle

"I will start" said Sam "Paul, would you rather always be 10 minutes late or always be 20 minutes early?"

"20 minutes early. I like to be punctual" said Paul "Kim, would you rather be famous when you are alive and forgotten when you die or unknown when you are alive but famous after you die?"

Kim thought for a few seconds "Unknown when alive but famous after I die" "Bella, would you rather live in the wilderness far from civilization or live on the streets of a city as a homeless person?"

"I would say live in the wilderness far away from civilization" "Jared, would you rather be alone for the rest of your life or always be surrounded by annoying people?"

"Surrounded by annoying people though I already have three annoying people always in my head" said Jared

"Hey" shouted Paul, Embry and Sam at the same time

"Emily" started Jared "Would you rather find your true love or a suitcase with five million dollars inside?"

"True love" said Emily looking at Sam who gave her a chaste kiss "Embry, would you rather be transported permanently 500 years into the future or 500 years into the past?"

"Future, I think it is cool"

"I so wish time travelling was possible" said Paul

"You can always take Old Quil's potion and go in the past like Bella did" said Jared

"As if" said Paul "He guards his potions with his life. No one gets to even see them forget drinking them"

"Wait Bella time travelled?" asked Angela

I nodded my head

"Long story babe" said Embry "I will tell you later" "Angela, would you rather have to read aloud every word you read or sing everything you say out loud?"

"Read aloud every word I read"

We played two more rounds before calling it a night. Sam and Emily soon left followed by Jared, Paul and Embry.

Three days after the party at Angela's house I conducted Jared's interview. He was the only one from the Black line as of now. He was Ephraim Black's father's sister's descendant and too far out from the situation. It was a miracle as to how the gene had even reached him. This proved the elder's theory that only descendants of Levi Uley, Ephraim Black and Quil Ateara the second can phase wrong. Just like Jared even Paul got the gene from his great grandmother who was Levi Uley's sister. Jared told me about his first phase and what was going on in his mind at that point. His responsibilities as the Beta of this pack, his imprinting on Kim, the fight with Victoria and James and the temporary truce with the Cullen's. Before Jasper left for Alaska he had taught the current pack on how to fight vampires without injuring yourself and I wrote all of those tricks down too.

The week after my second documentation, Angela left for Vancouver for her cousin's wedding which resulted in Embry moping the entire day. Angela had told him that under no condition was he to run to Canada to see her and she would be back in a week. There would be too many questions to answer if anyone saw him there. That resulted in the longest days of us all's life including Tiffany's. None of the boys wanted to do the occasional patrol with Embry because of his constant moping and when he was with us at Sam and Emily's place he kept staring at the wall with a sad expression on his face. Only Claire could manage to cheer him up. By the fourth day, Tiffany was frustrated and told Embry to either snap out of it or to sleep in the woods outside. We also knew that Embry was feeling the pain of being separated from his imprint because of the distance. Though Sam and Jared had also stayed away from their imprints in the beginning, their imprints were physically near them so there was no pain of separation. The records said that with time the pain would become lesser and lesser.

Soon Angela returned and my life went back to the monotonous cycle of work, driving to Port Angeles to meet Renee, spending time with Paul and the pack and chilling at the beach.

A week after Angela's return all of us except Embry and Angela were at Sam's talking when Embry came running in, panic clearly written on his face.

"Sam, Leech" shouted Embry shaking

"Start from the beginning Embry" said Sam sitting up straight on the couch "Jared, Paul go check"

"When I was dropping Ange at her house right now I could smell that a leech had been near her house. The scent is recent but not today's"

"Embry calm down. We will increase the patrols and catch the leech if he returns. He may just be passing by. With the Cullen's gone, we can extend our patrols till Forks" "Though if Angela spends more time on the res with the other girls it will be better"

"I will talk to her" said Embry "Sam I want to be on constant patrol and I will be guarding her house 24/7"

"Embry you will need to sleep and rest too. All of us will patrol around her house and in Forks" said Sam

"Sam this is my imprint. I will sleep outside her house if need be"

"We checked" said Paul coming in again "There is nothing"

Sam nodded his head "I will make the new patrol schedule" "Emily, Kim, and Bella you will not leave the res till this leech is caught. I cannot risk an imprint being in danger. Whenever we go out to hunt leeches you'll have to stay in this house till we return. One wolf will always be guarding you'll"

We nodded our heads in understanding

Over the next few days we were called to Sam's house at odd hours more than once. The leech had returned and was roaming around Forks and mainly Angela's house. Angela was spending all of her time in La Push and also stayed over at my house. Tiffany and Charlie were very understanding of the situation and were equally worried. Angela was worried about her family but Sam assured her that two wolves were always on patrol. They would be safe and as per what the pack had seen, there was only one Vampire. They almost caught him more than once but he was fast, either stuck to trees or jumped in the water.

"Sam" said Jared coming in the house. He was on patrol of Angela's house

"What news?" asked Sam

"Recent scent, when we were changing duties. He went through her clothes and stuff. His scent is all over her room"

"Are my parents and brothers okay?" asked Angela

"Yes, they were not attacked" "Sam I think the leech keeps coming back for Angela"

"Oh God" said Angela before sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Emily moved to sit next to her and console her.

Sam sighed loudly "We keep up with the patrols. Angela don't worry, we will catch this leech"

"Embry" she whispered with a few tears in her eyes

"Don't worry. He will be okay" said Sam before leaving the house with Jared

"It will be okay Angela. The pack will catch him" I said

I could understand the feeling Angela was going through. I went through a similar feeling when Victoria was hunting me. But the pack had protected me and they will protect her too.

Four days after this incident I was at my own house when I received a call from Angela. I was getting ready to leave for going to Sam's house where all the other imprints would be.

"Hey Angela"

"Bella" said a scared voice

"Angela, you okay?"

"Bella can you come pick me up. My car is not starting. I will send you the location"

"Yeah I will leave right now"

"Bella please don't tell any of the boys. I don't want them to worry. Just come pick me up"

I agreed and cut the call. Though I knew that I should atleast inform one of them before leaving La Push to pick her up, like Angela I did not want to bother them. They were already tensed with all that was going on.

I sat in my truck and drove to the location she had sent me, twenty minutes in the outskirts of Forks.

"Angela" I shouted as I got out from the truck at the secluded location she had called me to. There was no one in sight.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" asked Emily walking to where I was standing

"Angela called me up. Her car wouldn't start"

"Strange she called me too to pick her up"

"Emily, Bella" said Kim approaching us "What are you'll doing here?"

"Angela called us" I said

"She called me too, to pick her up" said Kim

I found this really suspicious. Why would one person call up three different people to pick her up from the same location at the same time?

"Did she tell you'll not to inform the pack?" I asked though I already knew the answer

They both nodded their heads

"Shit" "Angela where are you?" I shouted

"Your friend is with me and you'll are going to soon join her" said a voice before I was consumed by blackness.

Paul POV:

Fucking Leech, roaming around Forks and escaping in the water as soon as we get close to it. This is the third time he escaped. We almost had him but he jumped in the water.

Embry is running himself crazy. All of us are tired, frustrated, annoyed and worried. An imprint is in danger.

Sam had asked me to check on the girls so I phased back and walked to Sam's house. All the girls should be there right now.

Strange I could not scent anyone here.

I opened the door of the house. No one was there. This is weird.

I picked up the landline and called Bella. Maybe they were all assembled at her house.

Phone is switched off

I called Kim next, same response Phone is switched off

I tried Emily, Phone is switched off

Come on Angela, pick up

No even her phone is switched off

I ran to Bella's house and knocked on the door

"Yes Paul, All okay?" asked Tiffany opening the door

"Is Bella or any of the other girls here?" I asked though I could scent that they were not

She shook her head and I left quickly phasing tearing my clothes in the process not even bothering to answer her questions.

I showed the other three what I found out and through all the panic going on in our minds, the only question we had was, 'Where are our imprints?'

A/N: Any guesses who the mystery vampire is? There is a hint in this chapter.


	26. Chapter 26

Thank you 1tinac, .7334, Beuty6, YankeeGirlNJ, rachel625, Taylor9901, mrswhitlock87, hstevens08161, guest, RosalieHale237, catgrl, loveforgreeneyes for your reviews.

Chapter 26-

Bella POV:

The next time my eyes opened I was in the back of a moving vehicle. I had a throbbing headache and it felt like someone had taken a hammer and hit me on the head with it. Where am I? Why can't I remember anything? I tried moving or sitting up but my hands and legs were tied. I could see Emily, Kim and Angela lying unconscious next to me. Their hands and legs were tied too.

I can hear someone playing music in the front seat of what I assume is a minivan. Damn lower the volume. Now he is singing to it too.

I tried to remember what had happened to lead me to here. Though my memory was blurred I could remember a few things. I was getting ready to leave for going to Emily's house to spend time with the other imprints when I got a call from Angela who said her car was not starting and asked me to pick her up. When I reached the location she sent I found Emily and Kim instead who had received a similar call. Then what happen? Why is my memory blank from that point onwards?

I tried to look outside the window to see if I could find out where we were going but it was of no use. The windows had been covered. We could not see outside and no one from outside could see us.

"Look Freddie, one of our pets has awoken" said one of the men turning back and looking at me. He had pale skin and dark red eyes.

"Now now" said the other male vampire looking at me evilly "You are not supposed to wake up yet. Look at the other pets. How cooperative they are. We still have a few more hours to go before we meet up with Boss and the others. Now will you be a good pet or not?"

I tried to use my voice to ask him why he had abducted us. Who was this boss and what did he want from us but my voice was hoarse. I need water. I signaled him to give me water.

"In our world pets don't make demands" said the first vampire "We will give you food and water when we feel like it"

"Yeah and we assume you know what we are and know that we are dangerous" said the one named Freddie before removing a syringe from a bag and injecting me on the neck with it.

I could feel my eyes closing and everything around me going black.

Paul POV:

Eight Hours. It had been eight hours since someone had abducted our imprints from right under our noses. We tried finding them in every direction possible but it was as if they disappeared in air. No scent at all. But we also knew that no leech had crossed the border and entered into our territory. So if they have been abducted, as we are speculating at this point, either it was a human or the girls left La Push willingly.

The Pack mind was a painful place to be right now. We had searched every nook and corner of Forks, La Push and around here. Embry even went till Makah but there was nothing that could tell us which direction they were taken in.

"Jared, Embry run towards Canada. The leech followed Angela from there. Maybe he took the girls back there" said Sam "Paul and I will guard La Push. What if this is a way to divert our attention and more leeches are going to attack? We can't leave the res unprotected"

Jared and Embry ran towards Canada without saying a word. All of us were equally tensed and did not know what to do ahead. We were supposed to be protectors and we could not protect our own imprints.

"Paul, we will find them" said Sam calmly

"How can you be so calm Sam? Aren't you worried?" I scowled. It pissed me off that he was behaving as if everything was normal.

"You think I am not worried Paul?" "I am the Alpha. All of you'll are my responsibility and I cannot let anything happen to any of you'll. My imprint and three sisters have been taken. Also I am the one who will be held responsible if anything happens to them, from the elders because I was supposed to guard them better and take better decisions" he shouted "But getting angry and shouting will not solve this mess. We have to find them and we will. We need to think before we act"

"Where can they be?" I asked Sam

"All of their vehicles are missing even Angela's car is not at her house. So I think they left La Push willingly"

"Why didn't they tell us?" I screamed "They knew that they were not supposed to leave La Push without one of us"

"Maybe they did not want to bother us" said Embry "Maybe they thought that they will be back soon and no point telling us"

"Anything is a possibility at this point" said Jared "But if they would have been taken forcefully someone would have seen them"

"Embry did you find any scent outside Angela's house?" asked Sam

"No nothing new. No unknown human or Leech scents"

"This is so weird. There has to be some scent. Even if they were called somewhere their scent should lead us to that place but it is as if they just disappeared as they left La Push and in Angela's case as she left her house" said Sam

"Maybe that is the leech's power" I said "Remember Bella had told us, that certain leeches have certain powers. What if his power is to hide people's scents so that they cannot be traced?"

"Wait you think there is more than one leech involved?" asked Embry "Because the leech who was roaming around Angela's house had a scent"

"Yes" said Sam "There is more than one leech involved"

Suddenly Charlie Swan was standing in front of me with a gun in his hand.

"Silver wolf so you are Paul" "Do you want to tell me where my daughter is and why is her truck in Kent?"

"What" Three voices said simultaneously in my mind

"Paul don't phase back till I come" said Sam running in my direction

"So you want to phase or should I shoot?" asked Charlie raising his gun

"Chief Swan stop" said Sam

"Sam good you are here. I need some answers"

He nodded his head "Paul phase back. Let's go inside and Talk"

Half an hour later we had finished telling Charlie everything.

"Chief Swan, how did you come to know that her truck is in Kent" asked Sam

"I got a call from Kent Police department. Her license plate was registered under my name. The truck was found abandoned on the streets"

"Paul, run down to Kent. See if you can find anything near her truck"

"No use Sam. If what you are saying is correct these Kidnappers are smart and I can guarantee you the girls were nowhere near Kent" said Charlie

"Charlie, can you find out where the other cars are?" I asked him

He nodded his head "I can try"

Sam and I went back to patrol while Charlie left to go back to the station.

An hour later, Jared and Embry were back with no new information. As we had expected their scent was not there on the way to Canada. Even the leech who was stalking Angela, his scent was old and could not be traced in Vancouver.

"Boys I have information" shouted Charlie getting our attention

"What information?" asked Sam

"Emily's car was found abandoned in Neah Bay, Kim's in Astoria and Angela's in Port Townsend. The girls had no reason to be there at any of these places"

"The leech did this to confuse us. He wanted us to go on a wild goose chase" said Jared

"But one thing is for sure. This vampire is not working alone. Either he has a team of vampires working under him or he is using humans" said Charlie "And he knows that you'll are shape shifters and would need the girls scent to find them"

"Can it be the Italian Kings?" asked Embry

"No" Sam shook his head "According to what Bella had told us, this is not their style. They would have taken them directly to Italy"

"But why Angela out of everyone, why was the head leech roaming around her house?" I asked

"As if the leeches need a reason to attack someone" said Jared sarcastically

All of us went back to Patrolling and formulating a plan on how to go ahead. Another unusual thing was I could feel no emotions coming from Bella almost like she was asleep without dreams or unconscious.

Bella POV:

I could hear the sound of water dripping in a bucket. Very slowly I opened my eyes. It was dark around me. There was one light bulb in the corner of the room which hardly gave out any light. I felt exhausted. I could still not move my hands or legs which were tied. I tried looking around. I was in a room. There was a single bed and a tall cupboard in one of the corners. I could not see Angela, Emily or Kim in sight.

"Hello" I whispered "Anyone there?"

The room door opened and a blonde female vampire walked in with a bag in her hands.

"Here pet eat" she said throwing the bag at me and untying me "Boss does not want you'll to die before time"

"Where are my friends?"

"Don't worry, they are awake and have been given food. Now eat before I get angry"

She turned back to leave "I am not going to tie you again but don't even think about trying anything. There are CCTV cameras installed in here. We will know what you do"

With shivering hands I removed the food from the bag. I was terribly hungry and thirsty. I drank some water before eating the burger and fries.

I hoped the others were okay. The blonde vampire had said that they were also given food but could she be trusted. Were they also locked in similar rooms like mine?

And what about the pack, they must be going insane with worry. I should have told Paul that I was leaving La Push to pick up Angela.

Paul, how worried he must be.

I somehow managed to get up from where I was lying on the floor and walk towards the bed. There was a small window in the room overlooking the backyard. I sat on the bed and gazed outside. The surroundings looked so serene and beautiful as if they had no indication of the world inside these four walls. There was no human, vampire or building in sight. For miles, just green grass.

I closed my eyes. Paul was at the forefront of my thoughts. Sam, Jared, Embry, Charlie, Tiffany, Claire, the elders, how worried they must all be.

I tried to think about the documentations of the older pack that I had read. An imprint had never been harmed before.

Suddenly a small paragraph written by Quil the second's imprint came into my mind 'If a marked imprint is in trouble, she can talk to her wolf through her mind. It is difficult and needs concentration but is possible despite the distance between them'

I have to give it a try. This can be the breakthrough we need. No doubt they are already searching for us.

"Paul" I shouted in my mind

No response

"Paul"

No response again

I have to keep trying. I can't give up.

"Paul" I whispered in my mind with all the love I had towards him

"Bella" said a shocked voice through our mind link

Paul POV:

"Paul" I heard a voice say in my head

I looked around. None of my pack brothers had spoken.

"Paul" I heard that voice say again

Wait this is Bella's voice. Am I going insane? How can I hear her?

"Paul" the same voice repeated in my head

"Bella?" I said confused and shocked

"Paul, can you hear me?"

"Yeah I guess I can" I said still confused

"Who are you talking to Paul?" asked Jared

"Bella, can't you hear her?"

All three of them shook their heads

"Can you hear her?" asked Sam

I nodded my head

"It is because of the mark. I can't hear the others and I am assuming the others can't hear me" said Bella

"Bella says it is because of my mark" I told the others

"Ask her where they are and are all of them okay?" said Sam

"Oh yeah, Bella are you okay? Is everyone else okay? Where are you all? Have the leeches kidnapped you?"

"Yes there is someone named Boss. I have not since his face yet but I have seen three other vampires. I am okay. All of us are locked in different rooms"

She sent me photos of her room, the backyard, the minivan and the other leeches which I quickly sent in the pack mind.

"Ask her how the leeches kidnapped them?" said Jared and I repeated the question

She sent me their entire scene from getting the phone call to reaching there and everything going black.

"Paul ask her how many leeches are there?" said Sam and I repeated the question

"I don't know exactly but atleast four"

"Do you have any clue of where you'll are?" I asked her

"No we were kept sedated and the windows of the minivan were also covered"

"Okay we will find you'll. Just stay strong"

"Paul, ask her about Angela?" said Embry

"And Kim?" said Jared

I repeated their question

"Tell them I am sorry, Paul. I don't know anything. We are kept apart but the blonde vampire assured me that they were also given food and water"

"She is a leech Bella" "You can't trust them" I shouted frustrated by the situation

"Paul we have no other choice but to trust the one vampire who gave me food in this matter"

I repeated what she said to the others

"Ask her will I also be able to talk to Emily? She is marked too" said Sam

"I guess he should be able to" said Bella after I told her his question

"Paul I am getting tired. I need to take some rest. This is draining my energy"

"Okay I love you, remember that and I will find you and get you back home safe, I promise"

"I love you too" she said before I felt her mind link cutoff

I phased out to give Charlie and Tiffany all this information. We had told Angela's parents and Kim's parents that all of the girls had gone to the Makah reservation to Emily's house, it was a sudden plan and they would be back in a few days and Claire was being looked after by Leah who was also in the knowing.

I told everything to Charlie, Tiffany, Billy, Harry and Old Quil who were all assembled in Charlie's living room.

"Paul you all are spirit warriors, you have magic coursing through your veins. Close your eyes and try to find the pull to your imprint" said Old Quil

"Yes Paul, she has already given you a hint of the surroundings. Let your wolf out and let him follow his instincts. Even if you can't find your imprint he can feel the invisible pull" said Billy

Suddenly I heard four howls indicating a new member has joined us

"I have to go" I said before leaving

I ran out and phased to find three known and one unknown russet colored wolf standing in Sam's backyard.

"What am I? Why do I have paws? Why am I a dog?" said one vaguely familiar voice

"Jake calm down" said Embry

"Embry why are you in my head?" said Jacob Black

"Because you are a werewolf just like me"

"What Bullshit is this? I didn't ask for this?"

"No one signed up for this Jake" said Jared

"Get over yourself, baby Alpha. We have more important stuff to discuss" I said irritated

"What did you call me?" he said trying to intimidate me by showing his size and failing

"Jacob calm down and listen to me" said Sam before giving him a quick explanation of everything till this moment.

"Oh shit Bella. I spoke to her so rudely. I need to see her and apologize"

I growled at him "You better apologize. You hurt her"

"I will, now what is the plan to find them?"

"Old Quil and Billy both said that if we concentrate we can find a pull to our imprints" I told them

"Okay so we should try finding this pull" said Sam

Before any of us could say anything more, out of nowhere two more new voices filled the pack mind

"What am I? How did I become this?" whispered a terrified voice

"Oh cool I have a tail" said the other voice

"Who are you'll both?" asked Sam

"Am I hearing voices in my head? Am I dreaming of this? Why won't I wake up? How do you pinch yourself in wolf/dog whatever I am form"

"Kid you are not dreaming" I said laughing

"Who are you?" asked the same voice

"Paul Lahote"

"The hall monitor on steroids?" "What did Leah put in my juice?"

"Wait is this Seth Clearwater?" asked Jared

"Yes" "And who is this?"

"Seth, I am Sam Uley, the Alpha of this pack. Can you come in my backyard so I can explain everything to you?"

He nodded his head and started running

"What is wrong with you" I said frowning looking at the other wolf who was trying to take a look at his dick in wolf form

"Who are you by the way?" asked Jared

"Quil Ateara the fifth" said the chocolate wolf with pride

"Quil" shouted Jake and Embry simultaneously

"Jake Embry, this is so cool. Did you'll know about this?"

"Yes Quil I phased a few months back. That is why I kept my distance from you'll both. I could not tell you'll both this, Jake phased for the first time a few minutes back"

"Embry we three will talk about this later" said Jacob

"Quil, can you also come here? I want to get this done with, in one go" said Sam

Sam quickly explained everything to Seth and Quil before telling them about our current situation.

"Quil and Seth you will patrol the reservation while we five go to attack these leeches" said Sam "Jake you are the true Alpha and even without training, the strongest out of all of us"

"I don't want this Sam" said Jacob "I don't want to be Alpha"

"Jacob, this is your right but we will talk about this later. Right now is not the time for this. Paul, Embry, Jared try to find the pull to your imprints"

I closed my eyes and tried to find Bella. My wolf was anxious to find his mate.

When I opened my eyes again I could see a golden line in the air pointing towards a particular direction

"I can see it" I told the others

"Same here" said Sam and Jared and Embry nodded their heads

"Jake, follow me" said Sam before we followed the line in a V formation leaving Quil and Seth behind

We had hardly ran a few minutes when a red eyed female leech dropped in front of us from the trees

"Let's kill her" said Sam walking ahead

"Stop, please don't kill me" "I know where your mates are and I am here to help you'll"

All of us stopped in the tracks

"You'll stay phased. I will talk to her" said Sam before phasing out

"Who are you? How do you know where our imprints are?"

"Alice Cullen sent me. My mate and his friends have abducted your mates. I know where they are and I am here to help you'll find them. They want to make those girls their pets"

"Wait did you say mate?" said Jake "Why will you go against him and help his enemy? You are lying"

"I don't lie. Yes mate and I support the right even if I have to go against my mate for that"

"Who are you?" asked Sam

"Maggie of the Irish coven"

Bella POV:

"So pet have you eaten?" asked the same female vampire coming in the room

I nodded my head

"Good" "Boss has decided that you can meet the other pets for some time. But no planning and plotting. Though even if you do it will be a waste"

I nodded my head. I wanted to see the others.

"Follow me" she said before opening the door and walking out. The room in which I was was connecting to a long passage. It looked old and the paint was peeling off. The building looked abandoned.

We walked towards a hall passing few locked rooms

"Here you go" she said as we entered the room. I could see the other three already here.

"You know the rules. There is a CCTV and don't forget I can hear everything" she said before leaving us alone

I quickly hugged the other three. Emily and Angela looked okay but Kim was crying.

"Shh it is going to be okay" I assured her

"Yeah Kim" said Emily looking at me and by her look I knew that she had too spoken to Sam

"We need to have faith" said Angela while the both of us nodded our heads

"Oh good, so my pets are all together" said a voice filled with Venom

I turned back to look at the Vampire who everyone called Boss here.

"Riley Biers"


	27. Chapter 27

Thank you hstevens08161, Taylor9901, sarae32, viau1, catgrl, YankeeGirlNJ, Beuty6, brankel1, Guest, mrswhitlock87, .7334, Guest, MammaNita4, YaleAceBella12 for your reviews.

Chapter 27-

Paul POV:

We had hardly ran a few minutes when a red eyed female leech dropped in front of us from the trees

"Let's kill her" said Sam walking ahead

"Stop, please don't kill me" "I know where your mates are and I am here to help you'll"

All of us stopped in the tracks

"You'll stay phased. I will talk to her" said Sam before phasing out

"Who are you? How do you know where our imprints are?"

"Alice Cullen sent me. My mate and his friends have abducted your mates. I know where they are and I am here to help you'll find them. They want to make those girls their pets"

"Wait did you say mate?" said Jake "Why will you go against him and help his enemy? You are lying"

"I don't lie. Yes mate and I support the right even if I have to go against my mate for that"

"Who are you?" asked Sam

"Maggie of the Irish coven"

"Why should we believe you?" asked Jake

"You have no reason to but give me a chance to explain. Maybe you will believe me after I explain my past to you"

"Go on" said Sam

The leech named Maggie took a deep breath "I was born in Ireland in 1832. Even as a child I had a gift. The gift of knowing when someone was lying, I could sense it and this caused a lot of problems for me and made people around me uncomfortable. During the great famine I was left behind by my family to look after my maternal grandparents and Siobhan and Liam, my old coven mates found me nearly dying from starvation on the road to Cork. I was 15 at that time. Siobhan was curious of my ability and wished to change me into a vampire and even though Liam was not that willing of me to be a part of their coven, he agreed with Siobhan's wishes. After becoming a vampire my gift manifested and I could clearly say when someone was lying or saying the truth. I could not be deceived. Liam and Siobhan soon warmed up to me and I spent 157 years living with them as a nomadic coven.

I met Riley, who has abducted your mates two years back and within minutes realized that we were mates. Riley was changed three years back by a red haired sadistic female who accidently changed him instead of draining him. She and her coven mates left the area leaving Riley behind who was writhing in pain. In their ignorance they did not realize that he was in fact changing into a vampire. He woke up three days later without a sire or without any knowledge of what he was. He roamed different parts of the world giving into his urges before he met me eight months after he was changed, in Belfast.

I took him back with me to Siobhan and Liam and explained everything to him. After listening to everything he agreed to live with us and join our coven. But the problem was he was everything I was not, he was dishonest, deceitful and malicious just like his sire. He found pleasure in torturing his victims just like his sire. He would not drain the person directly. He would torture them for hours before finally ending their life when they begged for death. Siobhan and Liam did not approve of him. Even though we were human feeders we were civilized. They wanted him to leave or change his ways. Frankly speaking even I did not approve of him. But he was my mate and we had consummated our relationship. I would die from the distance if he left. And so as a last resort I left my coven behind and moved from place to place with him as nomads. We were in Seattle a few months after I left my coven when he saw his best friend of human life Diego walking down the streets. In a split second he went and bit him making him a part of this life. The three of us were now a coven. We roamed around for a few more months before Diego found Bree, his mate in North Dakota and wished for her to be changed. Bree's brother Fred and his girlfriend Heather was the fifth and sixth person to join our nomadic coven. Riley was the sire to all of them and all of them turned out to be just like him.

I could not take it anymore and Vancouver was the last straw. We were passing through Vancouver when we came across the scent of who I am assuming is one of your mates. The scent was human but was covered by the smell of wet dog. Riley was curious and wanted to know how a human can have such a smell. For the next few days he observed her and a part of me started becoming jealous that he was so captivated by her. I consoled myself saying that all this would soon end when the girl who was obviously a tourist would go back home. It did not. He split up from all of us for a while and followed the girl back here. When he realized that the wet dog smell was due to her being a mate to a shape shifter his sadistic mind rejoiced and started planning on how to make his existence more interesting by kidnapping the mate of a shape shifter and killing him. The original target was only that girl but the more he observed the more plans he made. A few days back he called us up and told us that he wanted our help. He did not give us exact details, just asked if we were in or not. I refused and told him to leave the poor girl and her mate alone but he was hell-bent on having his fun. He wanted to make your mates his human and then vampire pets. The others joined him and left. I don't know where they went. A few hours back Alice Cullen called me up and told me about Riley's plan. I had met the Cullens a few decades back when they were touring Ireland and Alice and I kept in touch. I want to help you because I think you are right and I want to stand by the truth. This is my story of why I am here"

Sam nodded his head.

Jared, Embry and I who were still in wolf form did not know what to make of her story. Should we believe her or not, why will a leech go against her own mate to help someone she categorizes as 'food'.

Jared and Embry were more believing of her but I was not. I had observed the world closely since I was a child and knew that a person may not be what he seems to be at face value. I did not trust a person till I was sure that he or she was trustworthy and under no circumstances was I going to trust a leech even if she was a walking talking truth serum.

"Let's say we believe you. Do you know where your mate has kept the girls?" asked Jake

She nodded her head "Somewhere in the outskirts of Spokane. I can take you there. I can feel the pull to Riley"

"Do any of these leeches have gifts?" asked Sam

She was hesitant for a few minutes before replying "Riley has the gift of persuasion. He can persuade you to do anything. Fred can masks scents and make a vampire or in your case, shape shifter believe that, that person was never at that place. Heather can control a person's mind, not anything major but make them say what she wants them to say or pick up an object. She can't control your mind if you know of her gift. Diego can make you so feel like you have insects crawling on your body. Bree has no such gift but she is a technological genius and can hack any software in the world."

Sam nodded his head "Lead the way"

Sam and Jake phased back while the leech ran ahead of us and we followed.

"I don't trust her Sam" I said

"Neither do I" said Sam "I can feel that she is lying or omitting stuff"

"Should we kill her?" "We already got the information we needed" said Jared

"No" said Sam "We need to be sure she is on the enemy side before we take any action. As of now believe that she is with us and follow her"

We all silently agreed and followed the leech to Spokane.

Bella POV:

"Riley Biers" I whispered and all the Vampires turned to look at me

"You are a pet and are supposed to call him Sir. You will be punished for daring to call him with his name" said the blonde vampire glaring at me

"Calm down Heath. They don't know the rules yet" said Riley looking at me "Now I don't know how you know my name but it is good that you do. I like being popular. It will get you in my good graces" he said winking at me and I barely managed to hide the disgust on my face.

"Why have you brought us here?" asked Emily

"Not so fast pet" said Riley "Let me tell you the rules again. I ask questions and you answer. Not the other way round"

"Stop calling us Pet. We are not your pets" said Angela

"You will be very soon after those mangy mutts of yours come here and die trying to save you"

"Why are you doing this?" whispered Kim

"We live forever. We have nothing to do you know except fuck and feed. It gets boring. I am playing a real life video game. Trying to bring some entertainment in my life"

"You are sick" shouted Angela scowling at him

"Diego" said Riley and suddenly Angela was on the floor using her hands to hit her own hands and legs and screaming

"Stop this" I screamed "Please stop this"

"Diego" said Riley and he must have withdrawn his power because Angela stopped moving

Emily ran to her and helped her get up

"What do you want from us?" I asked the vampires in this room. There were five of them. The girl who had been saved by the Cullen's during the newborn war was also here.

"You will know when the time is right. Just know for now that whatever I say you have to do. I am your boss and after you are changed your owner"

"You will be making us like you?" whispered Kim

"Of course I will" said Riley "But after I kill those disgusting dogs in front of you"

"You won't be able to. They are stronger than you" shouted Emily

"Boss you want me to go again?" asked Diego

Riley shook his head "No they will learn with time and once they are branded they will have no choice but to accept my orders"

"Branded?" I asked scared

"Yup" he said "You ask a lot of questions pets and I am getting tired but I will answer you this once. There are different types of Vampire bites - Mate bites, Sire bites and Pet bites. Fred here has given Heather a mate bite but I was the one to change her and give her the Sire bite same with Diego and Bree. They are my brothers and Sisters but when I bite you I will give you the Pet bite with my venom and also the Alphabet 'R' written by my venom so everyone knows that you have been branded. Then you are my pet for life and cannot disobey me."

I shuddered back scared. He was insane. Was Victoria also going to do something like this to me if the Pack and Cullens had not protected me? I looked around me Kim was crying and Angela was trying to calm her down but Emily did not look scared. She trusted Sam and the pack. I decided to trust the pack too. They would save us.

"Boss what about our plan? Is it in motion?" asked Bree

"Bree, our pets are here" said Heather glaring at her

"Chill Heath, it is not like they can do anything even if they want" said Bree

"Our plan is in motion and in a few hours shit is going to hit the fan. My poor stupid mate has no idea how big a favor she is doing on all of us by bringing those dogs right into my trap. She thinks if she helps me in killing those dogs and having my fun I will let my newly acquired pets go and will go back with her to that ridiculously civilized ex- coven of hers. We are Vampires, at the top of the food chain. Why will I be civilized? I can do what I want" he said manically laughing

"Yeah your mate was always brainless" said Heather joining him in his laughter and all the other vampires joined too.

I took a few steps back in shock and took Emily's hand in mine who took Kim's who took Angela's hand. We all needed the support right now.

"Heath, drop them back in their rooms. I plan to change them tonight after I kill their mates. Will be so much fun" he said rubbing his hands together

"What are you going to do about Maggie?" asked Diego

"I have not thought about it, probably will give her also the Pet bite. She talks a lot and needs to learn to obey me. Plus once I give her the pet bite she will have to do what I tell her to do. It will be so much fun to make her torture her victims"

"Sounds good boss" said Heather pulling us towards our rooms

I was terrified. Did such people truly exist in this world? How can he even think about doing something like this to his own soul mate? He was a literal monster. Even though his mate was planning with him to kill my boyfriend and my brothers, I sympathized with her. Truly she had not much choice.

Heather pushed me into my room before locking the door and going to drop the others to their room.

"Paul" I said in my mind. I need to talk to him and tell him all of this.

"Paul" I repeated "Please listen to me"

Paul POV:

"Paul" "Please listen to me"

"Bella" I said "Are you okay?"

"No I am not. You need to see what happen today"

She started showing me what happen since they entered that room, Riley, Pets, his sick plan, types of marks…

I knew it. We could not trust that leech. I so knew it.

"Swan let me show this to the Pack"

"I am worried Paul. This guy is a certified lunatic"

"Don't worry sweetheart. I am on my way. We will save you before that overconfident idiot can get his teeth anywhere near you. Just trust me and stay strong"

"I do trust you. I love you"

"I love you too" I said

"Now you take some rest and let me handle this bunch of idiots"

"Okay, you stay safe"

"Always am"

I felt her cutoff the mind link

"Guys you need to see this" I told the others before showing them everything what Bella showed me.

"Let's kill her" said Jared

"No Jared" said Sam

"But why Sam, we know she is tricking us" said Embry

"They want to surprise us we will surprise them" said Jake

"Exactly" said Sam "Seth Quil can you'll hear me?"

"Yeah Sam say" said Seth

"They are expecting four or five of us. You both are our surprise element. Follow us but from a distance. They should not know that you both are with us. When I tell you to pounce, pounce on them and tear them apart. They will not be expecting an attack from a different side"

"But Sam they don't know how to fight?" I said

He sighed "No time now. Jared, go through all the fights we have been a part of in your mind. Seth Quil, learn how much you can from seeing this" "Quil Please be serious for this fight. We cannot have anything going wrong. Our lives and our imprints lives depend on this"

"Of Course Sam" said Quil "I may be like a kid but I know when to be mature"

Sam nodded his head and Jared started showing them how to fight.

The leech may have researched about us but he forgot to find out about our pack mind and marked mate mind.

We followed that leech running at the top of our speed for the next few hours mentally planning on how we are going to go about with this fight.

"Seth Quil, I want you both on different sides of the building. You will attack from different sides. We will attack from the front, Seth from left and Quil from right. If I am correct the fight will take place just outside the building where the girls are kept"

"Okay Boss" said Quil

"Never ever call me that again" said Sam giving him a glare making Quil laugh

"We have almost reached" said the Leech before an abandoned building came in our view. I was slightly surprised. I expected the leeches to be waiting out for us. Had this leech forgot to inform them that she was getting us?

We took a few steps towards the open land when suddenly wind blew and we were surrounded by leeches. They had circled us.

"Hey doggy, you want to play fetch?" said the blonde haired leech laughing

"I am sorry guys" "I had to do this for my mate" said Maggie before walking towards one of the leeches

"Ah now what should I do with you'll" said the head leech "Diego"

What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I have bees biting me and a thousand ants crawling all over my body? Stop this now!

The pack mind was in chaos. All of us were screaming in our minds.

"Seth now" said Sam and in my peripheral view I could see Seth pounce on this Diego from behind and Quil pounce on another leech. As Seth pounced on him his power vanished and all of us were normal again.

"Boys this is our chance" said Sam "Attack now"

Nothing else needed to be said. I gave into my instincts, letting my wolf do what he wanted to do to these leeches who had dared to kidnap his imprint.

Snarling, biting, and tearing them apart. Snarling, biting, and tearing them apart.

"Paul it is done" said Embry

I finally got back to my senses. The leeches were in pieces lying on the floor and Seth and Quil were picking up their pieces and burning them. To be honest, I was disappointed I expected more from these leeches. They hardly put up a fight. And the head leech, our pack pup Seth was able to rip him apart. They had no training whatsoever just self inflated ego. Maggie knew how to fight but Jacob managed to kill her.

"It is done" said Jared "Let's go inside"

The four of us Sam, Jared, I and Embry ran inside. The other three stayed outside in case there were any more leeches. The interiors reeked of Leeches. I ran from room to room trying to scent Bella.

"Emily" shouted Sam opening one of the doors and going inside

The three of us continued in our search

Jared walked inside another room and Embry stopped outside another room.

Finally I scented Bella outside one of the rooms. I opened the door and was shocked at the sight that lay in front of me. Bella's hands and legs were tied and she was unconscious. I could smell that she had been sedated.

I untied her before picking her up in my arms and walking outside the building

"Bells?" asked Jacob running to me "What happen to her?"

"She has been sedated"

Jared, Embry and Sam also soon arrived with their girls in their arms. All of them had been sedated.

"We need to them to the reservation. Leah is studying to be a nurse. She can check on them. We cannot take them a hospital. There will be too many questions asked" said Sam

"Yeah but how are we going to take them back?" asked Embry

"I see a car" said Seth pointing towards a mini van parked at a distance

"No way am I going in a leech's car" I said snarling at him

"Think about Bella" said Seth

"Fine"

We laid down the girls in the back seat and Sam drove with Embry in the seat next to him. The rest of us phased back and ran to the reservation in wolf form.

A lot of people were waiting for Sam and Embry when they arrived hours later with the girls who were still unconscious.

We laid all of them down in Sam's house while Leah started checking each one of them for injuries. After assuring us, that everything was okay and they would wake up in a few hours, everyone left to go to their respective homes. Embry took Angela with him to his house while Jared took Kim to Sam's guest bedroom as his parents did not know of what had happened today. Charlie wanted to take Bella home with him but there was no way I was letting her out of my sight right now. Charlie finally gave in and let me take Bella to my home with me.

I laid her down on my bed gently and promised her that I would not let anything happen to her again.

I had hardly fallen asleep when I heard the most beautiful voice I had ever heard and wanted to hear for the rest of my life.

"Paul"

"Welcome home Bella"


	28. Chapter 28

Thank you Taylor9901, .7334, sarae32, YaleAceBella12, catgrl, Beuty6, brankel1, MammaNita4, Sassy Mami, hstevens08161, Kmpcarter for your reviews.

Chapter 28-

"Paul" I mumbled still not quite awake

"Welcome home Bella" said a familiar voice

I was home? How had I reached here? The last thing I remembered was Heather coming into the room and tying my hands and legs and injecting me on the neck with a syringe. She had told me that the next time I opened my eyes I would be a vampire and Riley would be my owner.

"Paul, where am I?" I asked slightly opening my eyes. I could feel that I was lying down on a bed. The lights in the room were dimmed.

"You are back in La Push at my house"

"How did I reach here? Riley?" I asked in panic

"Shush sleep now Bella, we will talk in the morning. You need your rest"

"But, Paul?"

"You are safe. Everyone is okay. Just sleep right now"

My body soon took over and before I knew it my eyes were closing.

The next time my eyes opened I could clearly see that I was in Paul's room on his bed. Light sun rays coming from the only window in the room were illuminating the entire room making the world look clearer and prettier.

I looked beside me to find an empty bed. I got out of the bed and walked towards the mirror in the room. Even though I could feel that I was not a vampire I wanted to see myself in the mirror to believe it. I was still terrified of the possibility that my mind had made up whatever happened the last night and I would wake up to find out that I was immortal with a thirst for blood in a cruel world I did not want to be a part of.

With every step I took ahead I wanted to take two steps behind. The idea of looking into the mirror scared me and I knew that it was irrational but I was scared that I would see red eyes looking back at me instead of my chocolate brown ones.

Finally my legs landed me in front of a mirror and I took a look at myself. My skin was not flawless or marble like. My eyes were not crimson but were chocolate brown. I was myself. I was human. I did not have supernatural strength or vision. I could not hear any clearer than I could twelve hours back but I had never been happier to be myself and I would gladly choose my flaws and imperfections over false beauty.

When I took another look at myself I realized that my clothes had been changed and I was no longer in the same clothes that I had left wearing to pick up Angela after her phone call.

I could smell that something was cooking in the house and walked towards the kitchen. My stomach rumbled in agreement. I had not eaten in hours.

"Good morning" I said as I entered the kitchen and saw my man standing by the stove bare-chested cooking breakfast

"Good morning" he said wrapping his arms around me kissing me on the forehead

"Are you cooking?" I asked in shock

"Yup, you deserved to rest and don't worry I took the recipes from the internet. They are safe to eat"

"You are so sweet" I told him giggling and cupping his face in my hand lightly and gently rubbing my thumb over his cheek

"I have been called a lot of things in my life but never sweet"

"You are and I am a very lucky girl to have you in my life"

He pulled me into his arms "I am the lucky one and if you talk like this breakfast will be the last thing on my mind."

"No, No. I need food right now" I said shaking my head

"I know, come on let's eat"

He laid down the waffles and pancakes he had made on the dining table before sitting on the chair and pulling me into his lap.

"This is really good" I told him taking a bite

"Thanks"

"So now tell me what all happen yesterday and how did I reach here?"

"Bella"

"Paul we agreed not to hide anything from one another"

"Fine, so after our weird mind link where you told me that Riley and his mate Maggie had planned this together, the pack made a plan of letting them believe that we are as clueless as they think we are. Seth and Quil followed us from a distance and when we reached over there we found out that they had surrounded us. Seth pounced on one of the leeches and Quil on the other and when their attention was diverted we attacked. None of the leeches knew how to fight except Maggie and so the fight ended pretty soon. I guess they were relying on the one with the power. Once he was removed the others just fell apart like dominos."

"So all of them are killed?"

"Yup they got what they deserved for trying to mess with someone else's life"

"Thank God. I was so scared Paul. That Riley was crazy"

"Why did he tie you up but?"

"Another one of his sick plans maybe"

I told Paul what Heather had told me before tying my hands and legs and how he was going to change us when we were unconscious making us his slaves. With every word his growls increased and I had to constantly rub my hand over his arm to calm him down.

"Paul, it is okay. I am fine now"

"I could have lost you. I am supposed to protect you" I could see the pain in his eyes when he said this

"Paul, you cannot blame yourself for this. It was not your fault. Those vampires were crazy. If anyone is to be blamed apart from them it is us girls who left the res without telling the pack"

"I forgot about that" he growled "How could you Bella? You out of everyone know how it is to be stalked by a leech and you left the res unprotected when you knew that it could very well be a trap"

"I am sorry. You were already stressed. I did not want to worry you more"

"Bella by not telling me you worried me more"

"I am sorry. I will remember this the next time"

"I hope there is no next time" said Paul "Come on, after breakfast we have to go to meet the others. They were equally worried"

After breakfast and a quick shower Paul and I left to go to Billy's house where a pack meeting had been called. Everyone was already here, pack, imprints, elders, Charlie and Tiffany.

"Bella" said Charlie coming and hugging me "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Dad I am okay" I said assuring him

"Bella" Tiffany came and hugged me, she was crying "I was so worried about you all"

"We are okay" "The pack saved us before we could do any harm"

"What were you thinking girls, leaving the res like this unprotected?" said Tiffany looking at the four of us "Angela, wasn't a wolf always near you to protect you?"

She nodded her head

"That is also what we want to know" said Billy "Angela can you tell us what happened?"

"I don't remember clearly. I was at home getting ready to come over here when I suddenly felt like I have to be somewhere else. It was like a compulsion and I had to follow it. I left my house from the back door and walked towards the woods. I don't remember anything after that. I don't even remember calling them. The next thing I know is I woke up in the backseat of a minivan"

"Emily, Kim, Bella" started Sam "What you did was highly responsible and frankly speaking stupid. Those leeches were dangerous and you yourself saw this. When you received that call you should have come and told us instead of trying to solve everything on your own"

"We are sorry" all three of us said simultaneously

"Now what is done is done" said Billy "We need to move ahead. Samuel you said about that Maggie being a part of a coven? Do you think her coven will come to take revenge from us?"

"Highly unlikely Billy, she said that she and her mate had left her coven" said Sam

"But what if that was also a lie?" said Jake

"We cannot do anything except wait. I doubt they will come here but if they do we will see"

"Jake" said Billy "Are you ready to be the Alpha?"

"No dad. I don't want it. Sam is doing a good job and I really don't want to be Alpha"

"Young wolf it is your birthright" said Old Quil

"Sam can keep it. I don't want it" he said shaking his head

"Can I say something over here Billy" said Sam "Ever since Jacob has phased, it has become very difficult for my wolf to give out orders. My wolf understands that he is not the Alpha anymore and it is causing strain on him to behave like one"

"Son, you heard him" said Billy

"Why are you forcing me? I don't want this curse" said Jake before storming out

"I will go talk to him" said Embry

"Embry" I said stopping him "Can I talk to him?"

"Swan he is angry right now and can hurt you accidently" said Paul

"He won't Paul. Please I need to talk to him"

"Fine but just be careful. Move out of the way if he starts to shake"

I nodded my head and walked out of the house towards the beach. I knew where Jake would be right now and I was correct. He was sitting on a piece of driftwood looking at the water.

"I didn't want this" he said as I sat next to him

"No one wanted this Jake"

"It is a burden, a curse"

I shook my head "It is not like that Jake. It is a huge responsibility, not a burden and definitely not a curse"

"I want to be human again"

"You are still human and you are still you"

"I am not. I am a monster" he said shaking his head

"Jake you are not a monster. You are a protector"

"I can't take this responsibility of being an Alpha. What if I fail? I am just not made for this"

"Jacob Black you are one of the most responsible people I know of. You have singlehandedly looked after your father after you turned fourteen and your sisters left town. You learnt how to drive so that you could take him everywhere and you made sure that there was a meal ready at home. You took up a part time job because Billy was not in the condition to work. So don't give me this crap about you being irresponsible. Being Alpha means looking after your pack and knowing and doing what is right for them and like Old Quil says the spirits are never wrong"

He laughed "I am sorry Bells. I was so rude to you these past months"

"Jake it is okay. I understand. I am just glad I got my best friend back"

"Me too"

"So, ready to be our mighty Alpha?"

"I guess. My wolf has been clawing at me to accept"

"You should listen to your wolf. He is correct"

He nodded his head "I wish I could leave La Push though. I wanted to go out and see the world"

"Times are changing Jake and you as the future chief and current Alpha can change the rules if you want. In a few years everything will go back to normal if there are no more vampires around."

"Everyone who wants to leave the res should be free to go. No one should be tied down to this place by force"

I nodded my head. I knew that Jake would be a good leader.

"Come on let's go back. I need to talk to the elders"

I followed him back into the house.

"Dad, Old Quil, Harry, I have decided to become the Alpha and follow my birthright"

"That is great son" said Billy with a huge smile on his face

"We are proud of you, young Alpha" said Old Quil

Harry just smiled at him

"So now even Jacob is a part of the council. Sam was already a part of the elders" said Billy

"While we are at the topic Billy" said Old Quil "I suggest we add three more elders to the council"

"Who Quil?" asked Harry looking at Old Quil

"Charlie, Tiffany and Sue"

"How can I be a part of the council?" said Charlie shocked "I am not a part of this tribe"

"Charlie you have been a good friend to this tribe since more than thirty five years. We trust you with our secrets and your knowledge will be an excellent addition to our team" said Old Quil "Tiffany you moved to La Push nearly seventeen years back and since then have done a lot for this tribe. I knew you are Makah but still I offer you this position. And Harry, Sue needs to know the truth, with you, Leah and Seth in the knowing she should know too and don't forget she is an Uley and Uley's have always got a seat in the council"

"Charlie and Tiffany looked at one another for a few minutes before nodding their heads "We accept"

"I will talk to Sue" said Harry

"So I think we should get done with the ritual for Jake to become Alpha" said Sam

"What ritual?" asked Jake

"A circle will be drawn and all of us have to phase. One by one you will come to us and bite us on the neck showing dominance. Once you bite us all you are the Alpha and the power will shift from me to you and from Jared to me as I will become Beta"

"Why didn't you have to go through any such ritual Sam?" asked Paul

"I was Alpha by default as I was the first one to phase"

"Bella, Emily, help me in drawing the circle" said Old Quil

All of exited the house and walked outside. After the circle was drawn all the boys phased and entered the circle. Jake in the centre and all the others around him, first he went and bit Quil, then Seth, followed by Embry, Paul, Jared and finally Sam. With every bite Jacob's wolf was growing huger.

You could see the Alpha aura around Jacob after the ritual was completed.

"Phase back all of you" said Billy "The ritual is completed"

One by one all the boys phased back. Jake was now even taller than before and stood at a height of 7 feet tall.

All the imprinted boys made a beeline for their imprints and Paul came and wrapped his arms around me.

"We should celebrate" said Quil

"Yeah we need to have the welcoming bonfire too" said Emily

"So tomorrow night we will have the bonfire. Let's all rest today. Everyone is tired" said Sam and all of us agreed

"Kim and Angela you need to go back home. Your parents have been told that you were with Emily in Makah" said Charlie

Both of them nodded their heads and Jared and Embry left to drop them back and everyone started to leave.

"Sam, Bella wait" said Old Quil stopping us both "Sam, It is time to tell Emily what we discussed a few months back regarding Claire"

He nodded his head

"Bella I want to see you, Sam and Emily tomorrow in the afternoon. It is time to tell young Quil everything. He will most probably see Claire tomorrow at the bonfire"

We nodded our heads and left. Charlie had made it very particular that I still lived in his house and was not eighteen yet. I could stay at Paul's on the weekend but not every night and I would be going home tonight.

Charlie, Tiffany, Embry and I had dinner together talking and laughing. I relished on every bit of it because 24 hours back it seemed like a far away dream. I never wanted to let go of these people in my life.

The next day after work I went to Old Quil's house where he had called all of us.

Emily looked scared, shocked and distraught. Sam was holding her hand strongly consoling her.

"Grandpa what is this about?" asked Quil looking at all of us

"Quil sit we need to talk to you about something" said Old Quil

He started telling Quil about my time traveling, what all I had seen in the past and how I had reached here. Sam and I gave our inputs where it was needed. Finally Old Quil told him about his imprinting on Sam and Emily's two year old daughter Claire.

He was quiet for a few minutes

"I am not a pedophile grandpa. I have never thought about kids like that"

"We know Quil and your imprint was not sexual" said Old Quil "You were just her older brother"

"But what if she falls in love with her high school sweetheart or turns out to be a lesbian? I want to give her the choice to choose how she wants to live and whom she wants to live with. And secondly I don't want to phase for another sixteen years, frozen at the age of sixteen. I will give up the wolf in a few years with everyone else and the last thing Claire needs is an old man as her boyfriend."

"So will you mark another girl?" asked Emily looking hopeful

"Yes I will. I have not met anyone like that yet but I will try to find her. For now I will just be Claire's older brother if it is okay"

"Thank you Quil" said Emily and Sam nodded his head. I could understand where Emily was coming from. She just wanted to give her daughter a supernatural free life.

We all left after that and I went back with Emily to her house to prepare for the bonfire. Angela and Kim were also over. Now as the wolves had increased we would have to make more food to satisfy their appetites. Tiffany and Sue had volunteered to get desserts. We spent the next few hours talking, cooking and playing with Claire.

The bonfire was already set up by the time we reached. All the boys were playing football. Quil came running to Emily who was holding Claire's hand when he saw us and all the boys followed.

"Hey Claire Bear, I am Quil, will you be my friend?"

The little girl smiled and as her eyes met Quil's the imprint took place.

"Did he just…?" asked Paul looking at me

I nodded my head squeezing his hand lightly

"Oh Shit Quil" said Jared

Everyone started talking with one another

"Silence everyone" said Sam "We are here to celebrate. We will talk about this later"

"Where is Leah?" I asked Sue. Even though she was not technically pack, she was invited today.

"She is on her way"

All of us sat around the fire and listened to Billy who had started telling us the legends. Every time I heard these legends I felt like I was listening to it for the first time and was equally captivated by it.

After the legends were over, all of us stood up to take a plate for dinner.

"Sorry I am late" said Leah coming towards where I was standing

"It's okay. The legends just got done. We were starting dinner"

"Hey Bells, have you seen…" asked Jake coming to talk to me but stopping mid sentence

I looked up to see him staring at Leah like she was his sun, moon and stars.

I smiled at them both

"So Jake, meet Leah and Leah this is Jake"

Even though I knew that they knew one another growing up in the same reservation, I felt like I had to introduce them both. After all both of them were my best friends.

"Hi" said Leah shyly "You have changed so much in these past months"

"Yeah hit a growth spurt" said Jake grinning at her

"So you both talk, I am going to go and find my boyfriend" I said to the both of them

After dinner the elders told us stories of their childhood and how they met their respective partners while we sat around the fire. Seth who was learning how to play the guitar started playing a few songs for us.

"Dance with me" said Paul whispering in my ear

I blushed and nodded my head

He wrapped his arms around me as we started moving to soft melodious song.

"You are beautiful" he said making me blush more

"I love you" I told him

"I love you too"

"I am so glad that the future is not written in stone. I don't know where I would be if it was"

"Me too, little Kitten. I don't know what I would do without you"

"Well now we have forever to be with one another"

"Yeah forever sounds good" he said lightly kissing me on the lips

A/N: This is not the last chapter. I will be posting the last chapter in a couple of days.


	29. Chapter 29

Thank you hstevens08161, YankeeGirlNJ, Taylor9901, YaleAceBella12, catgrl, Beuty6, debb lavoie, .7334, MammaNita4 and Sassy Mami for your reviews.

Chapter 29-

Days became weeks, weeks became months and months became years. The cycle of life continued and before we knew it, 22 years had passed.

A lot had changed in this past two decades, some good, some bad but one thing that did not change was the Pack and our friendship with one another. We still met almost every day, hosted bonfires every weekend and even without the pack mind knew almost everything about one another.

Two years after the Kidnapping incident, as we now referred it to, Collin and Brady the last two members of the current Pack phased when a nomad vampire passed through the area. Though they were young they adapted to all of us quickly and Sam and Emily took them under their wings.

After Jake became the Alpha a lot of good changes took place in the council, the major one being a shape shifter was no longer bound to stay in La Push. They could leave the reservation whenever they wanted. They were protectors irrespective of where they stayed.

On the personal front Leah had taken his imprinting on her pretty hard in the beginning for the main reason that she felt that the council would order her to come back home and leave her studies but Jake was adamant that she should be allowed to study even if it meant not living on the reservation and so Leah went back to Seattle after summer break and managed a long distance relationship with Jake for two years with her coming here on the weekends and he going to Seattle every alternate weekend. Leah had made it very clear that Jake was to go to college too. Her philosophy was that a tribe can only truly flourish if their leaders are educated. And so after completing his graduation Jake left to go to college in Seattle to obtain a degree in Mechanical engineering. He made Sam the reigning Alpha in his absence.

Quil who had no idea what to do in life trailed with him and returned to La Push with a degree in Filmmaking and marked girlfriend named Zoe. He and Zoe had instantly connected when they met in college and after three successful dates, Quil had told her everything about his shape shifting and Claire. She had taken everything in stride and was equally fond of Claire once she met her. After spending a few months in La Push and getting married they had left for Los Angeles where the both of them resided even today with their two sons Quil Ateara the Sixth and Josiah Ateara. Quil was a successful filmmaker and Zoe a fashion designer. Old Quil had been correct all those years back, after marking Zoe, the imprint of Quil and Claire changed and she became his younger sister and he was the best older brother a person could ask for. Quil and Zoe came to visit us and Quil's mother atleast once a year. Tragedy had hit us in the form of Old Quil dying when I was nineteen. I had been pretty close to him and he had always been supportive of us youngsters chasing our dreams.

Jake and Leah had returned to La Push after getting their degrees for a short period before moving to Seattle permanently to work on their respective careers. They had two children a son named Harry and a daughter named Sarah. Billy's health had deteriorated over the years and after Jake left, Charlie and Tiffany had taken him in with his daughters refusing to move back and Billy had stayed with them till he died eleven years later.

Embry the third musketeer of that trio stayed back in La Push joining Tiffany in running her shop. He and Angela had gotten married soon after he completed his graduation and had three children, two sons Caleb and Chris and a daughter Elena. Angela was a stay at home mom and one of my closest friends. We still had the Sunday family brunch where we met at Charlie and Tiffany's for dinner.

Seth had inherited the diner after Sue and Harry had passed away in an accident and he was living in La Push with his wife Natalie. They had no children but he was every pack child's favorite uncle. The one, who played with them, made them laugh and told them crazy stories.

Collin and Brady our last two had lived very different lives. Both of them had left the reservation after their graduation with Brady moving to Boston and Collin to Idaho. Collin was not yet married and often visited the reservation to meet his relatives who lived here. Brady was living in Boston with his girlfriend Amber and son Michael. He had no relatives in La Push and after he left at the age of eighteen he never returned. Both of them quit phasing when they left the res.

Jared and Kim were one of our closest friends even today. Jared owned a construction company with Sam while Kim had joined me and Emily in opening our café 'The wolf girl's café'. She had obtained a degree in accounting and managed our back office. After a complicated pregnancy Kim had given birth to Jenny Cameron almost losing her life after which they had decided to not have any more kids.

Sam and Emily also lived similar lives like Jared and Kim with Sam in the construction business and Emily handling the cafe. They had had four children Claire, Sam Jr, Benjamin and Mirabel. Sam had been the Alpha till all of them decided to quit phasing the year Sam turned twenty six. There had been no vampires in years and there was no need for them to phase anymore. Another pleasant surprise that came our way had been Claire falling in love with Nathan Dwyer, my half brother. When Nate had been five, Renee and Phil had gotten divorced after which Renee moved to Forks, to stay nearer to me. Seven years after her shift we lost Renee in a fight with cancer. That had been the lowest period of my life and Paul had been my rock, cradling me like a baby whenever I cried. Nate had taken Renee's dying extremely hard and the only person who could get through him during those days had been 13 year old Claire and when they had announced that they were dating a few months later, no one had been shocked.

And in Paul and my life also a lot of good things had occurred…

"What are you thinking about?" asked my husband of Seventeen years wrapping his arms around me.

"Life and the years gone by"

He nodded his head "You know this year will mark the twenty second year of me imprinting on you?"

"More than two decades" I said lying my head down on his shoulder

"I love you so much"

"I love you too" I told him taking his hand and walking with him to the memory wall in our house. Over the years every milestone of our life had been captured and placed on this memory wall.

"My eighteenth birthday" I told him pointing at the first photo

"Yeah I took you to an art exhibition followed by dinner in Bella Italia"

"And you gave me this" I said pointing to the promise bracelet I wore in my left hand. Paul had specially made this for me with Billy's help and it had a silver wolf charm attached to it. I had never removed it since that day.

"Our graduation" I said pointing at the second photo of Paul, Jared, Kim and me wearing graduation robes.

"Our first major fight when we were nineteen" he said looking at the next photo

"And it ending with you randomly blurting out that I should move in with you"

"And you saying yes"

"Yeah" I nodded my head smiling at him "The pack helping us in painting and redecorating this house" I told him pointing at the next photo

"Quil and Seth had had a field day playing with all the paint" he said laughing

"Charlie had been so upset when I had told him that I was moving out"

"Yeah he did not want his baby girl to leave his house"

"Opening of the café" I said pointing at the next photo in line

"The wolf girls café running successfully even after twenty years"

"You passing the exam and joining Forks police" I told him looking at the next photo

"One of the proudest days of my life"

"You proposing me"

"On First beach while we were stargazing" he said nodding his head

"That had been one of the best days of my life" I told him honestly. We had been living together for three years at that time when out of the blue Paul had gone down on one knee while we were on First Beach.

"Our wedding on Third beach when we were 24" he said making me look at that particular photo

"We had our first date on Third beach remember?"

He nodded his head. We had opted for a simple ceremony and Emily and Kim had been my bridesmaid while Angela was my maid of honor with Claire being the flower girl and Nate the ring bearer. Sam and Jared had been Paul's groomsmen and Embry his best man.

"The birth of our first child" I said pointing at the next photo

Unknown to us I had been pregnant during the wedding and a month after our wedding I had found out that Arianna Lahote was going to come into this world. Coincidentally Kim had also realized she was pregnant with Jenny ten days after I found out and just like their fathers had been, Arianna and Jenny had been best friends since they were in their diapers.

"She was such a small baby" he said

"Any baby would look small in your arms Paul"

Arianna had been her daddy's princess from the minute she was born. She had her father wrapped around her little finger. But our daughter was also as stubborn as me and as hot tempered as Paul. If anyone knew how to get their way with Paul, it was Arianna.

"Her first Christmas" he said

"Her walking for the first time"

"You finding out that you were pregnant again" he said pointing at the next photo

"The ultrasound and finding out that Liam Lahote was coming into this world"

"Ari had been so excited to be a big sister"

"Yeah" I nodded my head wiping a few tears from my eyes

"Liam's birth"

"You were in labor for seventeen hours. I was so worried"

I nodded my head "I remember"

"Ari's first day of school" he said

"I had cried so much that day" "My baby was growing up"

"Taking Ari and Liam with us to Seattle for the first time"

"They had been so excited"

"Billy telling the legends to all the pack kids at a bonfire" he said making me look at the next photo

"He was an amazing story teller" I said

"Ari and Jenny's combined fifth birthday party"

"Alice in the wonderland themed" I said smiling remembering about that day

"Liam's first football match"

"You all had gone to cheer for him" I said. All the older pack members including Jake, who had come down from Seattle had gone to see him play.

"Yeah me son was so happy to see us all there"

"Me finding out that I was pregnant for the third time" I said pointing at the next photo

When Ari was ten and Liam was eight we had found out that we were going to be parents again and eight months later Ava Lahote had come screaming into this world.

"Ava sleeping on your chest" I said looking at the next photo

For the first few months of her life Ava only slept on her father's chest. She would not stop crying if she was put to sleep anywhere else. Even today five year old Ava would only eat her breakfast sitting in Paul's lap from his plate.

"Taking our three babies and going to Disneyland" I said looking at the next photo

Embry, Angela and their three children, Jared, Kim and Jenny and Nate and Claire had joined us. Quil, Zoe and their kids had also come from LA.

"Ari's first date with Sammy" I said pointing at the next photo

He growled "I still don't like it that he is dating our daughter"

"Paul we have seen the boy grow up"

"Still I don't like it"

None of the pack kids had phased and Sam Jr and Arianna had fallen in love growing up together. Early last year Sammy had asked Ari out on a date and much to the chagrin of Paul she had agreed. When Sammy had come over to pick up Ari, Paul had been cleaning his gun and had literally threatened the poor kid with his life if Arianna came back with as much as a scratch on her body and it did not help telling him that we had seen the boy growing up.

"Our family" I told him looking at the last and latest photo on this wall. Two weeks back Jake and Leah had organized a dinner for the entire pack as they had been in town and this photo of us five had been snapped then.

"Our family" he said pulling me closer to him and kissing me on the forehead

"Paul I am really going to miss this house"

Next week we were moving into Charlie's old house in Forks. The house I had lived in when I first moved to Forks when I was seventeen. That house had been my grandparents and had been passed down to Charlie who had now gifted it to me. For months Sam's construction company had been working on that house and now it was finally ready for us to move in.

"Me too, we started our life in this house" said Paul

"Yeah, twenty two years worth of memories"

"The next part of our life is starting" he said and I nodded my head

A few hours later the both of us were in Forks hospital waiting for the newest member of our pack family to enter this world.

Everyone was here, Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, Embry and Angela, Seth and Natalie, Jake and Leah, Charlie and Tiffany.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" asked Quil coming to where we were standing, with Zoe

"Yeah she is fine but how come you are here? And where are Little Quil and Josiah?" asked Jake

"Like I would not be here today Jake and the kids are at my mom's"

"They took her in for the delivery" I told him and Zoe

The next half an hour was passed by with useless conversation and Emily pacing the hallways.

Finally Nate came out with a huge smile on his face

"I am a father. It is a boy"

Nate and Claire had decided to not know the gender beforehand. They wanted to be surprised.

After everyone congratulated him and hugged him we were taken inside to see Claire and the newborn.

"So what have you named him?" I asked Claire

"Jeremy Samuel Dwyer" she said kissing him on the forehead

Emily was crying and even Sam had a few tears in his eyes. Jeremy was the pack's first grandchild and I had no doubt in my mind that he would be as pampered as Claire had been.

I had no idea what life had planned for me ahead but I knew that whatever life would throw at me good or bad I would have the love of my life and my three children standing by my side.


	30. AN

Hey Guys, Firstly I wanted to thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting this story. This was my first attempt at writing and your support means a lot.

Secondly I have posted the first chapter of a new story named 'The Enigma named Imprinting'. It is a Sam-Bella story and the basic plotline is that instead of leaving with Renee after Charlie and Renee's divorce Bella stayed with Charlie in Forks and later in La Push after Charlie married Sue when she was a child.

The imprinting will take some time though and will not be in the first few chapters. Please read and let me know what you think of this story.

Thank you,

Hmz0975


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